I 


LIBRARY 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 
SANTA  BARBARA 

PRESENTED  BY 
HR.    &  MRS.    HOWARD  A.   WILCOX 


^ 


^5 


r-9 


THE   COMPLETE    MOTORIST 


WORKS   BY   THE   SAME   AUTHOR 

THE    RELIEF   OF    MAFEKING 

MASTERSINGERS 

IRELAND   AT   THE   CROSS   ROADS 


/THE 

COMPLETE   MOTORISX 

BEING  AN  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  EVOLUTION  AND 
CONSTRUCTION  OF  THE  MODERN  MOTOR-CAR; 
WITH  NOTES  ON  THE  SELECTION,  USE,  AND 
MAINTENANCE  OF  THE  SAME;  AND  ON  THE 
PLEASURES    OF    TRAVEL    UPON    THE     PUBLIC 

ROADS 


A.    B.    FILSON    YOUNG 


THE  CHARIOTS  SHALL  RAGE  IN  THE  STREETS,  THEY  SHALL  JUSTLE 
ONE  AGAINST  ANOTHER  IN  THE  BROAD  WAYS  :  THEY  SHALL  SEEM  LIKE 
TORCHES,   THEY   SHALL   RUN    LIKE   THE   LIGHTNINGS." 

The  Prophet  Nahum 


WITH    138   ILLUSTRATIONS 


McCLURE,   PHILLIPS   &   CO. 
NEW   YORK 


First  Published    .         .  .  September  IQ04 

Second  Edition  (Revised)  .  October       igo4 

Third  Edition       .         .  .  November  igo4 

Fourth  Edition    .         .  .  March        iqos 


Printed  in   Great  Britain 


TO 

WALTER   VICTOR   STUART 

IN    REMEMBRANCE   OF 

EARLY   ADVENTURES   WITH   MACHINES 

AND  OF 

TOILS   AND   PLEASURES   SHARED 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Preface  .  .  .  .  ...    xvii 

Introduction      .  .  .  .  .  .        .     xxi 


CHAPTER   I 

THE  EVOLUTION  OF  THE  MOTOR-CAR 

A  wandering  idea — Motoring  in  the  eighth  century — The  wings  of  the  wind — 
A  gorgeous  toy — -Sir  Isaac  Newton's  car — The  treadmill — French  geared 
carriages — The  first  steam  carriage — Invention  in  England — The  father  of 
the  locomotive— Heats  and  jealousies — End  of  the  first  period — The  reform 
of  the  roads — The  golden  age  of  the  steam  carriage — Gurney's  difficulties — 
Hancock's  steam  coaches — The  effect  of  the  tolls — Destruction  of  an  in- 
dustry— The  railway  boom — Gottlieb  Daimler — The  discovery  of  the  gas 
engine — The  first  Panhard — Peugeot  and  Benz — The  great  competition  of 
1904 — Serpollet  and  De  Dion— The  Paris-Bordeaux  Race — The  Automobile 
Club  of  France — England  begins  again — The  Parliamentary  struggle — Wait- 
ing for  the  roads  .  .  .  .  ...       I 

CHAPTER    II 

INDUSTRY   AND   SPORT 

The  difficulties  of  the  beginner — The  inevitable  friend — Brass  and  paint — The 
modest  advertiser — The  Crystal  Palace  nightmare — Vicissitudes  of  a  young 
industry — An  old  woman  and  her  loaves — Popular  fads — Every  man  his  own 
fool — The  Automobile  Club — Motor  racing — Police  and  the  law — The  Inter- 
national struggle  .  .  .  .  •  •         •     35 

CHAPTER    III 
THE  PETROL   MOTOR   AND   ITS  CONNECTIONS 

The  first  step — The  Otto  system — Carburettors — The  fly  in  petrol — Valve  gear 
— Ignition — The  magneto  system — Silence  and  power — Air  and  water  cool- 
ing— Transmission  and  control — Increased  elasticity  of  the  petrol  engine — 
Fashions  in  design — British  ingenuity — The  clutch  and  its  work — Gears  and 
gearing — Change-speed  mechanism — The  differential  gear — The  Crypto  gear 
— The  petrol  electric  system — Brakes  and  steering      .  .  .         .     43 


viii  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

CHAPTER   IV 

SOME  TYPES  OF  PETROL  CAR 


PAGE 


Differences  in  petrol  cars — Continental  experience  and  English  practice — The 
Crossley  car — A  bid  for  British  pre-eminence  —  The  Napier  car  —  The 
Mercedes  car  —  Lanchesters  and  Independence  —  The  Daimler  car  —  The 
De  Dietrich  car  —  The  Wolseley  car  —  The  Renault  car — An  American 
example — The  Hutton  car — Courage  and  originality — TheThornycroft  car  .       68 

CHAPTER   V 

STEAM  CARS 

The  advantages  of  steam — Has  the  last  word  been  said  ? — The  sensitive  and 
responsive  motor — The  American  steam  car — Its  rise  and  fall — Unwise 
commercial  conduct — Ignorant  handling  and  its  results — The  American 
run-about  described — The  Serpollet-Simplex  car — Steam  and  luxury — The 
White  steam  car — A  deserved  success — The  S.-M.  steam  car — The  problem 
for  the  designers — No  glands,  no  leaks — No  petrol,  no  danger — The  im- 
portance of  being  automatic — An  ingenious  water  control — Nothing  to 
wear  out — A  fine  engineering  achievement  .  ...     133 

CHAPTER   VI 

ELECTRIC  CARS 

An  infant  science — Where  is  Mr.  Edison's  accumulator? — The  ideal  town 
carriage — The  electromobile — A  luxurious  carriage — The  City  and  Sub- 
urban electric  cars — Taking  an  electric  brougham  to  the  country — The  care 
of  batteries — Two  golden  rules  .  .  .  .  •         •      '53 

CHAPTER   VII 

THE   SELECTION   OF  A   MOTOR-CAR 

A  bewildering  question — The  future  of  the  cheap  car — Two  hundred  pounds  a 
minimum  price  for  a  touring  car — Cars  made  to  sell  and  cars  made  to  use 
— The  second-hand  car — A  difficult  question — The  horse-power  of  a  car — 
Its  influence  on  cost  of  upkeep — Which  car? — A  formidable  list — Advice 
to  a  millionaire — The  poor  man's  problem — Donkey  cart  or  railway  train? 
— Unfair  comparisons — The  common  fault — An  unattainable  ideal — The 
simple  car — Use  Ijig  tyres — The  car  for  a  doctor — The  Monday  morning 
problem — Cars  and  country-houses — The  station  bus — Slaves  of  the  desk — 
The  real  mission  of  motor-cars — The  cheap  motor-car — Solid  tyres — Their 
advantages  and  disadvantages — Where  price  does  not  matter — Buying  a 
car — Tradesmen's  vans — A  proper  trial — Silence  or  loss  of  power — Steam 
cars  and  hills — The  dust  nuisance — A  simple  cure — A  tale  of  two  cars — 
Side  entrances  .  .  .  .  ...      161 


CONTENTS  ix 

CHAPTER   VIII 

LIGHT  CARS 

PAGE 

The  run-about  and  its  uses — Also  its  abuses — A  hundred  miles  a  day — Imitation 
of  large  cars — A  case  for  caution — Difference  in  principles  of  construction 
— The  De  Dion  car — The  Oldsmobile — An  American  invasion — The  Bel- 
size  car — A  celebrated  Baby — The  Roots  paraffin  car — The  Wolseley  light 
car — The  Humber  light  car        .  .  .  ...     i88 

CHAPTER    IX 

THE  USE  AND   RUNNING  OF  A   MOTOR-CAR 

A  difficult  art — The  perfect  driver — Learning  to  steer — An  obstacle  race — The 
folly  of  knowing  only  the  handle  end — Incident  of  the  two  brothers — Start- 
ing for  Wales — Incident  in  the  Chiswick  High  Street — Incident  of  the  traction- 
engine — Incident  of  the  rope  and  the  cab — Sweats,  bruises,  and  terrors — 
Fervidis  rotis — Complete  demoralisation  of  the  brothers — Moral — Learning 
to  control  a  car — Starting  the  engine — Changing  speed — The  use  of  the 
clutch — Driving  on  hills — Where  a  collision  is  desirable — Use  of  the  igni- 
tion lever — Driving  on  the  throttle — Overheating — Improper  lubrication — 
Vagaries  of  the  carburettor — Starting  on  a  journey — Supplies  to  be  carried 
— A  last  look  round — The  first  few  miles — Taking  risks — The  cow,  the 
dog,  and  the  hen — Mental  endurance — Men  and  horses— A  plea  for  de- 
cency and  humanity — The  motor  hooligan — Things  to  remember — Women, 
children,  and  dogs — The  unattended  horse — The  world  of  the  village  street     207 

CHAPTER   X 

THE   CARE   OF   A   MOTOR-CAR 

The  ill-attended  car — Caring  for  machinery — Good  and  bad  servants — Being 
one's  own  mechanic — The  rewards  of  labour — Expert  instruction — The 
essentials  of  a  motor-house — Occupation  for  a  wet  day — The  ideal  motor- 
house — The  motor-pit — Drainage — Mechanic's  bench — The  keeping  of  spare 
parts — Storing  petrol — Hot  weather — Proper  condition  of  a  motor-car — 
The  abuse  of  the  sponge — Filling  and  lubricating — Grinding  valves — Ac- 
cumulators and  charging — The  care  of  tyres — Treatment  of  new  cars — The 
annual  overhaul  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     231 

CHAPTER   XI 

CONCERNING   TYRES 

A  bane  and  a  blessing — The  motorist's  chief  anxiety — Who  is  to  blame? — 
Tyres  too  small — Care  in  driving — Solid  tyres — Construction  of  the  pneu- 
matic tyre — The  use  of  protecting  bands — Cushion  tyres — The  Palmer  Cord 
tyre — Spare  tubes  and  covers — The  storage  of  pneumatic  tyres — Tempor- 
ary repairs — How  to  attach  and  detach  pneumatic  tyres — Patches  and 
plasters — Punctures  and  side-slips — The  Parsons  and  other  devices — Nail- 
catchers        .  .  .  .  .  ...     242 


X  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

CHAPTER   XII 

ACCESSORIES   AND   LITERATURE 

PAGE 

The  delusion  of  the  accessory — A  buttress  to  enthusiasm — Concerning  lamps — 
The  right  and  the  wrong  kind — Horns  and  their  uses — Beware  of  the  speed 
recorder — The  time  superstition — A  better  way — Clothing  for  motorists — 
Odds  and  ends — The  Autocar  and  the  motor  movement — The  Autoinotor 
Journal — The  Motor  Car  Journal — The  Car  and  its  editor — A  triumph  of 
personality — Motoring  Illustrated — The  Motor  and  men  of  moderate  means 
— The  Motor  News  and  the  Motor  Car  World — The  Automobile  Club 
Journal        .  .  .  .  .  ...     255 

CHAPTER   XIII 

A    PACKET   OF    LETTERS 

Letter  from  Lady  Jeune — The  social  side  of  motoring — Fresh  air  and  the 
bicycle — An  escape  from  the  chaperon — A  disadvantage  of  easy  locomotion 
— The  importance  of  solitude — The  difficulty  of  finding  it — The  monster  in 
the  stables — A  selfish  enjoyment — A  vision  of  the  future — The  autocrat  of 
the  stable. — Letter  from  Sir  Horace  Plunkett — A  substitute  for  hunting — 
Early  experiences — In  Ireland — Local  talent — The  motor  as  time  saver — 
Problems  of  the  road — With  the  King  in  Ireland. — Letter  from  Mr.  Strachey 
— England's  back  premises — Practical  uses  of  the  motor-car — Back  to  the 
country — An  improvement  in  roads  necessary. — Letter  from  Mr.  Jarrott — 
The  charm  of  racing — -Its  departed  glories — Sport  rather  than  speed — A 
cure  for  monotony. — Letter  from  Major  Lindsay  Lloyd — The  military  motor- 
car in  peace  and  war — Its  use  in  manoeuvres — Where  it  is  essential — Is  it 
useful  in  war? — A  combination  with  animal  transport — A  golden  rule. — 
Letter  from  Mr.  Rudyard  Kipling^ — His  early  agonies,  shames,  and  delays 
—  Chasing  the  inchoate  idea  —  The  chance -met  dung -cart  —  His  mouth 
emptied  of  vanities — His  emancipation  from  Jack  and  Jenny — The  dis- 
covery of  England — The  time  machine — The  motor-car  as  temperance 
advocate — A  condition,  not  a  theory — Effect  upon  carriers  and  coachmen — 
A  rooster  and  his  judgment — Incident  of  the  dog     .  ...     269 

CHAPTER   XIV 

L.   S.    D. 

The  seamy  side — Unprofitable  comparisons — Upkeep  of  a  light  car — Upkeep 
of  a  steam  car — The  keeping  of  accounts — Things  that  are  forgotten — A 
liberal  estimate — Maintenance  of  a  touring  car — A  doctor's  car — Electric 
carriages  and  their  cost — A  legitimate  comparison — The  two  great  expenses 
— Petrol  or  alcohol? — A  year's  expenditure  .  ...     289 


CONTENTS  xi 

CHAPTER   XV 

THE  MOTOR-CAR   ABROAD 

PAGE 

An  ideal  country  for  touring— How  to  get  there — The  necessary  documents — 
Custom-house  houFS — Inhospitable  Italy — A  matter  of  detail — The  worst 
roads  in  Europe — Austria  and  Germany — The  cost  of  motor  touring  on  the 
Continent — History  and  geography  at  a  glance         .  ...     303 

CHAPTER   XVI 

THE  OPEN   ROAD 

The  home  of  the  motor-car — A  quickened  life — The  freedom  of  the  roads — 
Journeys  by  stages — A  voyage  through  history — In  Roman  footsteps — The 
divisions  of  England — Subtle  changes — Resident  and  stranger — The  in- 
vasion of  an  island — The  taming  of  monsters — An  early  morning  journey 
— The  scenery  of  the  dawn — Wine  of  the  gods — A  pause  by  the  roadside 
— An  apparition— A  monster  at  large — The  man  with  the  oily  face — The 
breaking-in  of  the  new  force— A  test  of  the  heart — Incidents  in  a  motor 
race — A  momentary  commotion — The  workers — The  bondage  of  the  road 
— A  generation  of  ghosts — The  Road  to  Ireland — A  road  with  a  purpose — 
Telford  and  his  monument — The  despoiler  of  roads — The  company  of  the 
telegraph  wires — Where  all  roads  must  end  .  ...     310 

Appendix        .  .  .  .  .  ...     329 

Index  .  .  .  .  .  ...     343 


LIST   OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 


FULL   PAGE 

*'  L'effroi "  (from  a  painting  by  Paul  Gervais  in  the  Paris  Salon,  1904).    Frontispiece 

PAGE 

44 
70 

71 
72 

73 
74 
75 
76 

77 
82 
84 

85 
86 

87 
87 
87 
88 


wheel 


Diagrams  illustrating  the  Otto  system  of  internal  combustion  eng 

Crossley  22  h.p.  car 

Crossley  22  h.p.  chassis    . 

Crossley  22  h.p.  engine    . 

Crossley  22  h.p.  engine,  right-hand  side 

Crossley  22  h.p.  engine,  left-hand  side 

Clutch  and  fly-wheel  of  the  Crossley  22  h.p.  engine 

The  Crossley  carburettor  in  section 

Crossley  22  h.p.  chassis,  front  view 

Portion  of  Crossley  frame,  showing  brake  drum  for  rear 

6-cylinder  Napier  car 

6-cylinder  Napier  chassis,  from  above 

6-cylinder  Napier  engine,  right-hand  side 

The  Napier  synchronised  ignition  device 

6-cylinder  Napier  chassis,  front  view 

Clutch,  pedals,  and  dashboard  of  6-cylinder  Napier  car 

60  h.p.  Mercedes  car 

60  h.p.  Mercedes  engine,  right-hand  side 

60  h.p.  Mercedes  engine,  part  of  left-hand  side 

60  h.p.   Mercedes  car;  view  of  clutch,  dashboard,  and  operating  levers  and 

pedals 
Lanchester  touring  car 
Lanchester  engine  and  gear 
Front  view  of  Lanchester  motor 
Lanchester  valve  gear 
Lanchester  ignition  mechanism 
Lanchester  lubrication  system 
Lanchester  counter-shaft  . 
Illustrating  Lanchester  system  of  suspension 
Lanchester  touring  car  with  detachable  brougham  head 
The  Daimler  chassis,  from  above     . 
The  Daimler  engine,  right-hand  side 


90 

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96 

97 
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102 
103 
104 
105 


THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 


The  Daimler  engine,  left-hand  side 

Daimler  change-speed  gear  and  drive 

24  h.p.  De  Dietrich  car    . 

Right-hand  side  of  De  Dietrich  engine 

De  Dietrich  clutch,  spring  and  clutch  mechanism,  showing  universally  jointed 

shaft 
De  Dietrich  rear  suspension 
12  h.p.  Wolseley  car 
Wolseley  gear-box  and  dashboard 
12  h.p.  Wolseley  chassis  . 
A  Renault  car  . 
The  Renault  chassis,  rear  view 
The  Renault  chassis,  from  above 
15  h.p.  Duryea  power  carriage 
Chassis  of  20  h.p.  Hutton  car 
View  of  20  h.p.  Hutton  engine  from  the  right,  showing  the  low-tension  ig 

niters  and  the  timing  mechanism  .  .  .  . 

View  of  the  Hutton  radiator  .  .  ... 

Details  of  Hutton  clutch  ..... 

View  of  the  Barber  variable  speed  gear  for  the  20  h.p.  Hutton  car 
Front  view  of  the  20  h.p.  Hutton  chassis        .  .  .  . 

Rear  view  of  the  20  h.p.  Hutton  chassis  .  .  .  . 

Central  portion  of  the  Hutton  chassis,  showing  the  hand-levers  above  the  steer 

ing  wheel,  the  hydraulic  accumulator  on  the  dash,  and  the  expanding  main 

clutch 
Thornycroft  20  h.p.  chassis 
Thornycroft  change-speed  gear 
20  h.p.  Thornycroft  car    . 
The  Serpollet-Simplex  car 
White  generator  and  burner 
The  White  engine 
S.-M.  Chassis  . 
Plan  View  of  S.-M.  Chassis 
Electromobile  landaulet,  closed 
Electromobile  landaulet,  open 
A  new  type  of  City  and  Suburban  electric  carriage 
De  Dietrich  commercial  waggon 
Thornycroft  covered  steam  van 
Thornycroft  light  delivery  van 
De  Dion  6  h.  p.  car 
Oldsmobile  car 
Oldsmobile  tonneau 
Chassis  of  7  h.p.  Oldsmobile 
Engine  and  gear  of  7  h.p.  Oldsmobile 
Engine  and  gear  of  9  h.p.  Oldsmobile 
The  Belsize  6  h.p.  car 
The  Baby  Peugeot  car 
6^  h.p.  Peugeot  chassis    . 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 


XV 


Chassis  of  the  Roots  paraffin  car      .  .  .  .  . 

6  h.p.  Wolseley  car  ...... 

Chassis  of  the  6  h.p.  Wolseley  car  ...  .  . 

The  Palmer  Cord  tyre  and  rim         .  .... 

Fabric  of  the  Palmer  Cord  tyre,  showing  method  of  construction  with  flattened 
cord  ....... 

Manipulation  of  Dunlop  tyres  ... 

The  Pompeesi  tyre-inflating  device  .  .  ... 

The  motor-car  weekly  press  .  .  .  .  . 

Mr.  Charles  Jarrott  ...... 

The  Road  to  Ireland         ...... 


PAGE 
204 

205 

206 

248 

248 
252 
262 
264 
280 
324 


IN   THE   TEXT 

Stevin's  sailing  carriage,  1680 

The  Nuremberg  carriage,  1649 

Cugnot's  steam  carriage,  1770 

Murdock's  model  steam  carriage,  1784 

Trevithick's  steam  carriage,  1802 

Carriage  by  Julius  Griffiths,  1822 

Steam  carriage  by  David  Gordon,  1S24 

Gurney's  first  steam  coach,  1827 

Sir  Charles  Dance's  carriage,  1833 

James's  steam  carriage,  1824 

Hancock's  "Autopsy,"  1833 

Hancock's  steam  coach  "Era,"  183 

Hancock's  "Automaton,"  1836 

Church's  steam  coach,  1833 

Side  view  of  Church's  coach 

Rickett's  carriage,  1861    . 

Garrett's  steam  carriage,  1 86 1 

Randolph's  steam  carriage,  1872 

Goldsworthy  Gurney's  steam  coach,  1S33 

Gottlieb  Daimler's  bicycle,  1886 

Peugeot  benzine  car,  1895 

The  Rover  carburettor 

Simms-Bosch  magneto  system 

Sketch  illustrating  transmission  through  live  rear  axle 

Sketch  illustrating  transmission  through  side  sprockets 

Sketch  illustrating  Crypto  gear 

Sketch  showing  balance  of  Lanchester  engine 

Diagram  of  magneto  and  electrical  connections 

Lanchester  sparking  plug  and  ignition  spring 

The  Lanchester  carburettor 

Reversing  gear  in  action  . 

Low  gear  idle  . 

Compound  gear  with  low  gear  in  action 

De  Dietrich  carburettor    . 

De  Dietrich  expanding  brake 


and  chains 


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II 

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lOI 

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108 


XVI 


THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 


De  Dietrich  change-speed  gear 

Plan  and  elevation  of  Duryea  chassis 

Sectional  elevation  of  the  Hutton  carburettor 

Elevation  of  the  Hutton  gear 

Section  of  the  Hutton  gear 

Drawing  of  the  ram  and  the  eccentric  in  cross-section 

Cross-section  through  one  of  the  Hutton  rear  axles 

Sketch-plan  of  the  Serpollet-Siniplex  chassis 

Four-cylinder  single-acting  engine  for  S.-M.  car 

Patent  control  of  the  S.-M.  steam  car 

Engine  of  S.-M.  car  in  position,  showing  steam  chest  and  valve  gear 

Paraffin  burnefof  the  S.-M.  steam  car 

Plan  of  electromobile  chassis 

De  Dion-Bouton  patent  spray  carburettor 

De  Dion  6  h.p.  motor,  sectional  view 

6  h.p.  Belsize  Junior 


PAGE 

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14s 
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PREFACE 

THE  rapid  progress  of  the  industry  and  pastime  of  motor- 
ing, with  which  its  hterature  has  hardly  kept  pace,  must 
be  the  excuse  for  a  new  book  on  motor-cars.  Mr.  Worby 
Beaumont's  valuable  work  will  probably  always  remain  a 
standard  book  of  reference  for  designers  ;  Mr.  Rhys  Jenkins's 
Motor  Cars  is  a  classic  on  the  history  of  mechanical  traction, 
by  which  no  writer  who  follows  him  can  fail  to  benefit ;  while 
the  Badminton  volume  on  Motors  and  Motor  Drivings  by  virtue 
of  its  fulness  of  detail  and  the  personality  of  its  writers,  many 
of  whom  are  identified  with  the  motor  movement  as  founders 
and  pioneers,  has  an  authority  and  historical  value  to  which  the 
work  of  no  single  writer  can  lay  claim.  There  are  also  several 
smaller  works  dealing  with  various  aspects  of  the  subject  which 
are,  within  their  respective  limits,  of  great  interest  and  import- 
ance ;  but  so  far  as  I  am  aware,  no  amateur  of  automobilism 
has  hitherto  attempted  to  deal  single-handed  with  the  whole 
subject — historical,  technical,  critical,  practical,  human,  and 
sentimental.  That  this  is  an  ambitious  and  difficult  task  no 
one  is  better  aware  than  I,  but  the  absence  or  reluctance  of 
better-qualified  men  is  my  excuse  for  making  the  attempt.  I 
have  tried  to  write  the  kind  of  book  that  I  myself  wanted  to 
read  when  I  first  became  interested  in  motoring,  but  that  did 
not  exist  then,  and  I  fear,  in  spite  of  my  efforts,  does  not  exist 
now.  I  am  sorry  that  limitations  of  space  made  it  impossible 
for  me  to  include  chapters  on  marine  motors  and  motor  cycling; 
but  the  fact  that  these  interests,  large  as  they  are,  are  to  some 
extent  separate  from  ordinary  motoring,  made  me  decide  to 


xviii  THE   COMPLETE    MOTORIST 

omit  them  altogether  rather  than  deal  with  them  briefly  and 
inadequately. 

In  the  technical  parts  of  the  book  I  have  been  confronted 
with  the  danger  either  of  being  too  technical  for  the  uninformed 
or  too  elementary  for  those  who  have  some  mechanical  know- 
ledge. But  in  these  days,  when  crank  shafts  and  inlet  valves, 
coils  and  radiators,  figure  in  the  common  talk  of  club-rooms,  I 
have  thought  it  safe  in  my  descriptions  of  various  cars  and 
systems  -to  take  for  granted  at  least  an  elementary  knowledge 
of  mechanics  on  the  part  of  my  readers,  and  to  descend  to  the 
ABC  only  in  the  description  of  the  petrol  engine  and  its 
parts.  Professional  engineers  will,  I  hope,  be  tolerant  of  techni- 
cal shortcomings,  and  remember  that  these  pages  are  written 
by  an  amateur  for  amateurs,  and  that  the  point  of  view  through- 
out is  that  of  the  private  user  of  motor-cars. 

If  this  book  were  three  times  as  large  as  it  is,  it  would  still 
(to  adopt  an  Irish  idiom)  be  "  full  of  omissions,"  and  these  will 
readily  be  detected  by  the  people  interested  in  the  things 
omitted.  As  there  are  at  least  a  hundred  more  or  less  reput- 
able makes  of  motor-car  on  the  market,  any  selection  of  a 
dozen  of  them  for  description  and  illustration  must  be  an 
arbitrary  selection.  In  making  my  choice  I  have  been  in- 
fluenced solely  by  the  desire  to  interest  and  inform  the  readers 
of  this  book.  Such  cars  as  the  Crossley,  the  Hutton,  and  the 
S.-M.,  which  have,  of  course,  not  yet  earned  any  public  reputa- 
tion, are  described  because  they  are  new,  and  because  they 
mark  an  advance  in  motor-car  engineering.  In  other  cases  I 
have,  for  the  most  part,  chosen  cars  which  have  been  well  tried 
by  the  public  and  have  long  passed  the  experimental  stage. 
Naturally  I  have  made  as  large  a  selection  as  possible  from 
among  English-built  cars,  but  in  no  case  is  the  mere  inclusion 
or  exclusion  of  any  particular  car  to  be  regarded  as  a  criticism 
of  its  merits. 

My  thanks  are  due  to  M.  Paul  Gervais  for  leave  to  reproduce 
his  charming  picture  "L'Effroi";  to  the  editor  of  the  Autocar 


PREFACE  xix 

for  assistance  in  various  matters  most  readily  given,  and  for  the 
use  of  blocks  and  tables;  to  the  editor  of  the  Automotor  Journal 
for  the  use  of  blocks ;  to  the  editor  of  the  Car  Magazine 
for  leave  to  reprint  Mr.  G.  Stewart  Bowles's  verses  from  "  The 
Song  of  the  Wheel";  to  Mr,  Julian  Orde,  Secretary  of  the 
Automobile  Club  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  for  his  unfailing 
courtesy  and  readiness  to  help  ;  to  Mr.  George  J.  Shave  for 
drawings  and  information  on  technical  matters  ;  to  the  makers 
of  various  cars  for  the  use  of  drawings  and  illustrations,  many 
of  which  were  merely  for  my  own  guidance  and  are  not  re- 
produced here ;  to  the  editor  of  the  Daily  Mail  for  permitting 
me  to  resume  the  substance  of  an  article  entitled  "  The  Road 
to  Ireland,"  which  I  contributed  to  that  paper ;  to  Mr.  W.  E. 
Garrett  Fisher,  for  valuable  help  in  reading  proofs  ;  and  to 
Lady  Jeune,  Sir  Horace  Plunkett,  Mr.  St.  Loe  Strachey,  Major 
Lindsay  Lloyd,  Mr.  Charles  Jarrott,  and  Mr.  Rudyard  Kipling 
for  permission  to  reproduce  the  letters  from  them,  which  appear 
in  Chapter  XIII. 

As  it  is  my  wish  to  keep  this  book  up  to  date,  I  shall  be 
glad  to  have  any  mistakes  pointed  out  to  me,  and  to  be  in- 
formed  of  any  developments   or  alterations    in   the  cars  and 

systems  described. 

A.  B,  F.  Y. 

36,  Roland  Gardens,  S.W.,  May,   1904 


INTRODUCTION 

IN  the  early  days  of  a  movement  that  affects  the  common 
life  of  our  age,  and  before  we  have  learned  to  take  all  its 
new  conditions  for  granted,  it  is  worth  while  to  consider  its 
effect  upon  our  life  and  to  realise  what  we  are  likely  to  gain  and 
lose  by  it.  Rapid  as  has  been  the  development  of  the  motor- 
car as  a  social  and  industrial  factor  during  the  last  few  years,  it 
is  still  regarded  by  the  majority  in  no  graver  light  than  as  an 
increase  in  the  means  of  amusement  of  the  well-to-do.  The 
fact  that  the  rich  have  been  the  pioneers  of  the  new  means  of 
transport,  and  still  enjoy  almost  a  monopoly  of  its  benefits, 
seems  to  have  misled  many  people  into  the  belief  that  it  has  no 
very  important  bearing  on  the  circumstances  of  any  other  class ; 
and  this  merely  because  a  state  of  affairs  incidental  to  its  early 
development  has  been  mistaken  for  something  essential  and 
inherent  in  the  thing  itself  But  the  motor-car  is  not  destined 
to  remain  in  these  conditions.  Like  the  bicycle,  which  was  not 
so  long  ago  the  fashionable  toy  of  the  rich,  and  is  now  the 
necessary  servant  of  the  poor,  the  motor-car  will  ultimately  find 
its  level  in  the  class  that  has  most  need  of  it.  In  the  meantime 
the  ground  is  being  broken,  and  the  present  users  of  motor-cars 
are  taking  their  share  in  the  expensive  stages  of  experiment  by 
which  all  will  ultimately  benefit.  In  this  way,  and  almost  in 
spite  of  themselves,  the  luxurious  classes  are  bearing  their  part 
in  a  great  and  beneficent  work  of  social  reform.  And  even  to 
those  of  us  who  are  not  rich  nor  luxurious,  but  who  have 
managed  to  possess  and  enjoy  motor-cars,  this  thought  may 
perhaps  be  a  little  comforting  what  time  the  bill,  big  with  heart- 
breaking items,  comes  in  from  the  repairer. 


xxii  THE   COMPLETE    MOTORIST 

A  very  little  thought  will  surely  convince  the  most  conserva- 
tive of  the  social  mission  of  the  motor-car  to  a  nation  suffering 
from  a  lack  of  space,  of  fresh  air,  and  of  the  mental  stimulus  of 
observation  and  enjoyment.  In  spite  of  all  our  advances  and 
reforms,  travelling  in  England,  especially  for  the  dwellers  in 
large  towns,  is  slow,  expensive,  and  laborious.  To  travel  from 
Wandsworth  to  Finchley,  for  example,  is  infinitely  more 
troublesome  than  to  travel  from  Manchester  to  London,  and 
may  take  very  nearly  as  long.  The  depression  that  comes 
from  living  constantly  in  one  place,  and  from  the  feeling  of 
helplessness  to  escape  from  that  place,  has  probably  a  much 
graver  and  wider  influence  among  people  of  narrow  means,  and 
through  them  on  the  nation  as  a  whole,  than  many  of  us 
imagine.  Overcrowding  is  a  constant  problem  with  us,  and  an 
acute  evil  ;  yet  our  only  solution  of  it  so  far  has  been  to  extend 
the  cities  and  so  gradually  enlarge  the  infected  areas.  The 
economic  conditions  that  exist  in  England  will  probably  always 
prevent  the  hearts  of  our  great  cities  from  being  made  into 
places  fit  for  human  habitation  ;  so  that  the  ultimate  solution 
of  this  difficulty  with  us  will  probably  be  a  development  of  the 
suburban  principle  as  it  now  exists — that  is  to  say,  the  cities 
will  be  used  only  for  work  during  the  day,  and  the  workers  will 
live  at  a  distance  from  them,  in  surroundings  dedicated  to  rest 
and  enjoyment,  and  not  to  pain  and  toil.  In  this  movement, 
which  is  even  now  beginning,  the  automobile  will  play  an  all- 
important  part  ;  and  whether  it  flies  through  the  air  or  goes 
upon  the  ground  it  will  be  available  for  those  who  labour  and 
who  need  it  most,  and  it  will  be  available  for  them  a  fraction  of 
a  second  the  sooner  for  everyone  who  buys  and  runs,  perhaps 
at  grievous  expense,  a  motor-car  to-day. 

That  we  are  losing,  and  shall  lose,  something  by  it,  I  have  no 
doubt.  For  every  stage  in  our  civilisation  we  pay  a  price ;  for 
every  virtue  that  we  gain  we  lose  a  virtue  esteemed  as  of  less 
account ;  for  every  pleasure  found  there  is  a  pleasure  lost  ;  and 
no  one  who  looks  about  him  need  look  far  to  see  what  we  are 


INTRODUCTION  xxiii 

losing  by  our  acquisition  of  the  motor-car.  The  fact  that  it  is 
there — alluring  and  fascinating  in  its  magic  powers  of  carrying 
us  so  quickly  in  the  wake  of  our  wishes — secures  for  it  without 
a  struggle  the  allegiance  that  used  to  be  given  to  quieter  and 
more  sober  pleasures.  It  is  the  typical  recreation  of  a  restless 
and  hurried  age.  Perhaps  we  need  not  blame  it  for  taking 
from  us  what  we  were  probably  destined  to  lose  in  any  case  ; 
but  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  power  of  taking  our  enjoyments 
quietly,  of  finding  pleasures  in  very  simple  things,  of  amusing 
ourselves  with  bare  facts  like  trees  and  friends  and  fresh  air  and 
mountains,  is  going  from  us,  and  will  probably  not  return. 
Where  we  used  to  savour  and  enjoy  them  singly,  we  now  take 
them  in  whole  gulps.  One  sees  it  around  one,  and  is  conscious 
of  it  in  oneself,  with  vain  regret ;  for  the  wheel  upon  which  we 
and  our  empires  and  worlds  are  bound  spins  with  a  momentum 
that  all  our  regrets  cannot  retard  or  turn  back.  But  it  is  never 
a  bad  thing  to  remember  in  the  pride  of  new  powers,  new 
pleasures,  and  new  capacities  for  pleasure,  that  we  may  be  dis- 
carding, like  worn-out  garments,  other  powers  and  pleasures 
that  were  good  enough  for  better  men.  At  any  rate,  if  we 
are  motorists,  it  may  make  us  a  little  more  tolerant  of  those 
who  do  not  like  us. 

There  need  here  be  no  disguise  of  the  fact  that  motorists  are 
not  liked  by  the  public  at  large ;  there  is,  indeed,  no  reason  why 
they  should  be  liked.  We  do  not  even  like  each  other  much  ; 
but  we  like  ourselves  immensely,  and  naturally  we  tend  to 
become  immensely  selfish.  And  it  is  an  unhappy  quality  of  a 
thing  like  this,  which  is  still  the  privilege  of  the  few,  that  it 
appeals  to  selfish  people,  and  makes  even  others  seem  selfish. 
Moreover,  it  is  a  pity  that  motorists  lie  so  much,  even  to  each 
other.  The  fishing  lie  has  served  a  long  and  honourable  term 
as  representative  of  expert  lying ;  but  the  motor  lie  is  enough  to 
make  even  a  fisherman  tell  the  truth  in  disgust.  Whether  the 
liar  (I  mean  the  motorist)  drives  a  5  h.p.  "  Baby  Avalanche,"  or 
what  Mr.  Dooley  calls  a  "40  h.p.  Suffer  Little  Children,"  his 


xxiv  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

method  is  the  same  ;  and  it  is  ahvays  the  same  dreary  story  of 
how  he  "  did  "  a  distance  of  so  many  miles  in  such  and  such 
a  time.  The  story  ahvays  begins  in  the  same  way.  "  I  wasn't 
thinking  of  going  fast ;  we  ambled  along  very  slowly  and 
stopped  half  an  hour  for  lunch  ;  one  of  my  cylinders  was  missing 
too,  yet  we  did  the  whole  distance  in  three  hours.  I  couldn't 
believe  it  when  I  saw  the  time  we  arrived."  It  is  strange  that 
people  should  take  pleasure  in  such  childish  and  transparent 
deception  ;  for  they  apply  themselves  to  it  with  all  the  serious- 
ness of  disciples  and  enthusiasts.  But  they  must  not  wonder  if 
other  people  still  unbaptised  with  the  spirit  of  the  new  craze 
should  dislike  them  very  heartily. 

I  am  afraid  that  to  the  man  who  is  not  yet  a  motorist  it  is 
the  disadvantages  rather  than  the  advantages  of  the  new  move- 
ment, its  present  evils  rather  than  its  promised  benefits,  that 
most  strongly  appeal.  Yet  even  to  him  I  would  suggest  that 
there  is  a  profit  in  looking  a  little  ahead,  in  not  confounding  the 
wonderful  mystery  of  speed  and  power  with  the  crazy  fellow 
who  for  the  moment  controls  it,  in  seeing  beyond  the  mere 
unsightly  engine  of  our  imperfect  contriving  to  the  truth  and 
ideal  for  which  it  stands.  Considered  in  this  light,  the  motor- 
car is  not  the  rich  man's  toy,  the  idle  man's  excuse,  the  brutish 
man's  weapon  ;  it  is  a  good  genius,  a  physician  of  the  mind  and 
body,  a  spirit  that  will  make  of  poor  men's  wishes  wings  to 
carry  them  out  of  themselves  and  their  surroundings,  out  of 
darkness  into  sunlight  and  the  pure  air. 


THE  COMPLETE  MOTORIST 

CHAPTER   I 
THE    EVOLUTION    OF   THE   MOTOR-CAR 

A  wandering  idea — Motoring  in  the  eighth  century — The  wings  of  the  wind — A 
gorgeous  toy — Sir  Isaac  Newton's  car — The  treadmill — French  geared  carriages 
— The  first  steam  carriage — Invention  in  England — The  father  of  the  locomotive 
— Heats  and  jealousies — End  of  the  first  period — The  reform  of  the  roads — The 
golden  age  of  the  steam  carriage — Gurney's  difficulties — Hancock's  steam  coaches 
— The  effect  of  the  tolls — -Destruction  of  an  industry — The  railway  boom — 
Gottlieb  Daimler — The  discovery  of  the  gas  engine — The  first  Panhard — Peugeot 
and  Benz — The  great  competition  of  1904 — Serpollet  and  De  Dion — The  Paris- 
Bordeaux  race — The  Automobile  Club  of  France — England  begins  again — The 
Parliamentary  struggle — Waiting  for  the  roads. 

I 

TO  move  about  from  place  to  place  without  the  trouble 
of  walking  has  been  the  luxurious  necessity  of  man  ever 
since  he  first  began  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  knowledge.  For  a  long 
time  it  was  enough  that  some  fellow-creature — man  or  beast — 
should  toil  and  sweat  at  his  bidding  and  drag  him  about 
whithersoever  his  fancy  drew  him.  But  there  came  other 
dreams,  other  ideas  of  luxury.  A  carriage  that  would  go  by 
itself;  a  magic  chair  that  would  transport  its  occupant  from 
place  to  place,  proceeding  by  invisible  machinery  and  moved 
apparently  by  its  own  volition  :  there  was  a  majesty,  a  glorious 
impossibility,  a  splendid  disdain  of  limitations  in  that  idea  that 
must  have  inspired  its  first  entertainer  with  an  almost  intoxi- 
cating pride.  Even  to-day,  when  the  thing  is  a  commonplace 
and  a  matter  of  universal  experience,  the  embers  of  that  fire  of 

B 


2  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

enthusiasm  which  first  possessed  the  contemporary  of  HeHo- 
dorus  still  remain.  The  railway  engine,  the  modern  motor-car 
— who  with  any  imagination  can  fail  to  thrill  a  little  with  the 
consciousness  of  the  miracle  that  is  worked  by  these  when  they 
serve  his  needs  and  desires  ?  Who  but  has  known  at  some 
time  or  other  an  infinite  warmth  and  gratitude  at  his  heart  when 
he  has  felt  the  beat  and  quiver  of  steel  limbs  spurning  and 
spinning  out  the  miles  behind  him  ?  Who  could  fail  of  some 
affectionate  impulse  when  he  realises  of  what  wishes  and 
longings,  what  aching  desires  and  burning  regrets,  the  device 
of  automobilism  has  been  born  ?  For  all  the  longings,  all  the 
thoughts  and  wishes  that  we  can  send  round  the  world,  all 
the  most  powerful  of  our  spiritual  movements,  are  helpless  to 
join  friend  with  friend,  enemy  with  enemy,  supply  with  demand, 
and  impotent  in  themselves  to  fulfil  the  imperious  necessities 
of  business,  revenge,  or  love.  Helpless,  that  is,  until  they  have 
expressed  themselves  ;  until  they  have  translated  themselves 
from  emotion  into  thought,  from  thought  to  action,  from  action, 
through  patience  and  anger,  discovery  and  disappointment, 
death  and  fires,  perils  and  bruises,  sickness  and  losses,  grief  and 
happiness,  to  the  few  shapes  of  steel  and  iron  that  can  bring 
our  sluggish  bodies  careering  in  the  wake  of  our  quick  thoughts. 
But  ideas  have  a  life  that  is  independent  of  the  brains  they 
inhabit  ;  and  the  idea  that  gave  rise  to  Heliodorus's  description 
of  a  self-moving  chariot  continued  to  be  blown  about  in  the 
world  long  after  he  had  been  resolved  into  dust  and  memory. 
Not  yet,  however,  was  the  brain — or  rather  the  congregation  or 
community  of  brains — ready  for  its  reception.  It  was  as  yet 
but  a  homeless,  restless,  futile  idea,  incapable  in  itself,  a  stranger 
to  the  environment  that  could  give  it  form  or  expression — a 
seed  without  soil  or  sun.  Here  and  there,  indeed,  it  found 
a  temporary  soil.  Centuries  old,  it  Icdged  in  the  brain  of  some 
Chinese  mechanic  who  caught  a  glimpse  of  its  possibilities,  but 
could  get  no  farther  than  a  wheeled  waggon  rowed  or  punted 
along  with  poles.  That  was  in  the  seventh  or  eighth  century ; 
and  eight  centuries  later  the  idea  had  seen  no  further  develop- 
ment in  China,  where  the  rowing  carriage  was  still  the  latest 
thing  in  locomotion.  Elsewhere  it  blossomed  into  brief,  tran- 
sient expression,  always  living  a  little  longer  in  each  new  brain, 
taking  a  more  definite  form  in  each  new  device.     Leonardo  da 


THE   EVOLUTION   OF  THE   MOTOR-CAR  3 

Vinci  in  the  fifteenth  century  made  some  rough  plans  for  an 
auto-car  ;  strange  savants  in  Persia  were  about  the  same  time 
busy  on  some  similar  sketches  ;  but  in  none  of  these  cases  did 
the  idea  come  to  any  practical  embodiment.  And  until  the 
seventeenth  century  it  may  be  said  still  to  have  been  a  wanderer, 
hardly  increased  by  its  transitory  establishments,  its  purpose 
hardly  advanced  by  all  the  mental  energy  that  in  workshop 
and  monastery  and  rose-filled  garden  had  been  so  warmly  and 
hopefully  devoted  to  it. 

But  in  the  seventeenth  century  the  idea  began  to  be  busy  in 
the  Western  world,  and  in  the  seventeenth  century  it  took  its 
first  definite  shape,  and  rooted  itself,  no  longer  in  the  minds  of 
individual  men  who  were  far  in  advance  of  their  time,  but  in  the 
common  mind  of  the  age.  In  France  and  Germany  and  Eng- 
land— but  especially  in  England — a  body  of  thought  was  defi- 
nitely devoted  to  the  cultivation  of  this  idea  of  auto-locomotion; 
and  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries  may  be  said  to 
have  seen  the  development,  perfection,  and  abandonment  of  an 
auto-motive  system  in  which  a  mechanical  motion  was  applied 
to  wheeled  carriages  by  means  of  the  movements  of  men  or 
horses  carried  on  the  vehicles  themselves  ;  and  also  of  a  system 
of  wind-carriages  or  land-boats,  in  which  the  motive-power  was 
the  wind,  acting  either  on  sails  or  on  some  simple  rotary 
mechanism. 

The  records  of  this  period  are  profoundly  interesting.  It  can 
hardly  be  called  more  than  a  groping  after  the  idea  of  auto- 
locomotion,  for  the  conditions  of  mechanical  science  were  as  yet 
too  crude  to  admit  of  much  advance.  The  world  was  waiting  for 
steam,  as  to-day  it  is  waiting  for  the  control  of  electricity ;  and 
in  the  meantime  it  fumbled  blindly  with  certain  mechanical 
principles,  to  the  full  use  of  which  steam  was  destined  to  supply 
the  key.  Upon  this  period  of  groping  the  curtain  rises  in  the 
year  1600,  and  shows  us  the  mathematician  Simon  Stevin  work- 
ing at  his  wind-carriage  in  his  workshop  at  the  Hague.  This 
was  a  vast  tray  or  coffer  of  timber,  carried  close  to  the  ground 
on  four  wooden  wheels  some  five  feet  in  diameter,  the  after  axle 
being  pivoted  to  form  a  rudder.  It  was  rigged  with  a  tall  mast 
amidships  and  a  smaller  foremast,  both  of  them  stayed  aft  and 
carrying  large  square  sails.  A  trial  run  was  made  along  the 
coast  from  Scheveningen  to  Petten  with  twenty-eight  people  on 


4  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

board,  including  Prince  Maurice  and  the  Spanish  Admiral 
Mendoza,  who  was  at  that  time  Prince  Maurice's  prisoner ;  and 
an  average  speed  of  twenty-one  miles  per  hour  was  attained  on 
the  journey.  Howell  wrote  of  this  same  machine  in  the  year 
1650:  "This  engine  that  hath  wheels  and  sails,  will  hold  above 
twenty  people,  and  goes  with  the  wind,  being  drawn  or  mov'd 
by  nothing  else,  and  v/ill  run,  the  wind  being  good,  and  the  sails 
hois'd  up,  above  fifteen  miles  an  hour  upon  the  even  hard  sands," 


stevin's  sailing  carriage,  1600 


There  was  a  similar  carriage,  but  of  smaller  size,  also  built  by 
Stevin,  which  remained  for  long  at  the  Hague  (the  one  men- 
tioned in  Tristram  Shaftdy);  but  what  subsequently  became  of 
either  of  them  is  not  known. 

The  next  date  on  which  we  have  news  of  the  auto-motive 
idea  is  161 8,  when  patents  were  taken  out  in  England  by  one 
Thomas  Wildgosse  for  various  vehicles,  such  as  ploughs,  carts, 
and  boats,  to  be  drawn  without  horses  or  sails.  The  mechanism 
is  not  described,  but  is  almost  certain  to  have  been  some  kind 


6  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

of  gear  worked  by  the  hands  of  a  person  seated  in  the  vehicle. 
Similar  patents  were  applied  for  in  1625,  but  there  is  no  record 
of  the  vehicles  themselves. 

But  the  first  really  successful  carriage  constructed  for  running 
on  ordinary  roads  was  made  in  Nuremberg  by  Johann  Hautsch. 
The  illustration  of  this  carriage  shows  it  to  have  been  typical  of 
that  golden  age  of  craft  in  Germany  when  no  piece  of  work  was 
turned  out  without  being  finished  in  every  detail  with  the 
greatest  possible  perfection  of  art.  Although  it  looks  like  a 
gigantic  toy — and,  indeed,  in  those  days,  when  our  world  was  in 
its  childhood  as  regards  machinery,  every  machine  was  a  toy — 
the  design  is  full  of  merit ;  and  although  the  carriage  was 
worked  by  toiling  men,  these  were  decently  concealed  in  its 
depths,  and  nothing  was  visible  but  the  stately  carved  carriage 
itself  proceeding  along  at  something  like  two  miles  an  hour, 
with  the  mechanical  figures  in  its  woodwork  sounding  me- 
chanical trumpets,  and  the  weird  dragon  in  front  rolling  its 
practicable  eyes  and  spouting  water  from  its  practicable  mouth 
for  the  purpose  of  clearing  a  way  before  the  chariot.  When  I 
look  at  the  picture  of  this  gorgeous  toy  I  do  not  wonder  that 
the  Crown  Prince  of  Sweden  purchased  it ;  and  I  wonder  still 
less  that  the  King  of  Denmark  (filled,  it  would  seem,  with  envy) 
had  one  exactly  like  it  made  immediately  afterwards. 

In  1655  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  then  a  boy  at  school  in  Grantham, 
contrived  a  mechanical  car  or  chair  on  four  wheels  which  was 
moved  by  a  handle  or  winch  geared  to  one  of  the  axles,  and 
turned  round  by  the  person  sitting  in  the  carriage ;  and  in 
1663  a  Mr.  Potter  contrived  a  cart  which  had  legs  instead  of 
wheels,  although  in  what  way  this  was  to  apply  to  the  improve- 
ment of  road  locomotion  is  a  secret  which  we  must  suppose  to 
lie  buried  with  the  dust  of  Mr.  Potter.  In  1664  Hooke,  the 
friend  of  Sir  William  Petty,  a  man  of  celebrated  mechanical 
ingenuity,  contrived  and  took  out  a  patent  for  a  single-wheeled 
vehicle  which  is  supposed  to  have  been  propelled  by  the  move- 
ments of  a  rider  situated  inside  the  wheel  itself. 

More  successful,  although  still  extremely  crude,  was  the 
carriage  invented  by  M.  Richard,  a  P>ench  physician  and 
scientist.  In  this  carriage  the  power  was  applied  by  a  man 
standing  behind  the  seated  occupant  of  the  carriage  and  work- 
ing levers  with  his  feet.     These  treadles  were  hinged  at  their 


THE   EVOLUTION   OF  THE   MOTOR-CAR  7 

rear  ends,  the  forward  ends  being  connected  by  a  rope  passing 
over  a  pulley  above  them.  Thus  when  one  was  up  the  other 
was  down,  and  their  up  and  downward  movements  were  ar- 
ranged to  engage  two  cogged  wheels  keyed  on  to  the  rear 
axle  of  the  carriage.  The  forward  axle  was  pivoted  at  its 
centre,  and  the  vehicle  was  steered  by  two  ropes  held  by  the 
seated  occupant.  The  front  view  of  this  carriage  was  not 
unsightly,  and  its  motive  power  apparently  mysterious  enough  ; 
but  the  back  view,  revealing  a  perspiring  servant  at  work  on 
a  treadmill,  must  have  been  more  grotesque  than  dignified,  nor 
can  it  have  added  much  to  the  pleasure  of  any  occupant  of  the 
carriage  other  than  a  confirmed  cynic.  An  adaptation  of  this 
machine  allowed  of  its  being  worked  by  the  passenger  himself 
—  a  doubtful  improvement  from  the  passenger's  point  of  view, 
and  one  that  (as  Hooper  in  his  Rational  Recreations  points  out) 
must  "  on  a  rough  or  deep  road  be  attended  with  more  pain 
than  pleasure."  This  was  a  French  invention  ;  and  how  little 
method  or  co-ordination  there  was  in  these  tentative  methods 
towards  auto- locomotion  may  be  realised  from  the  fact  that  the 
next  recorded  invention — that  of  Sir  Humphrey  Mackworth  in 
South  Wales — consisted  in  the  application  of  sails  to  colliery 
waggons  travelling  on  a  tramway.  A  contemporary  admirer 
wrote  to  Sir  Humphrey  Mackworth  that  he  was  "the  first 
Gentleman  in  this  part  of  the  World  that  hath  set  up  Sailing- 
engines  on  Land  driven  by  the  Wind,  not  for  any  Curiosity,  or 
vain  Applause,  but  for  real  Profit,  whereby  he  could  not  fail  of 
Bishop  Wilkin's  Blessing  on  his  Undertaking  in  case  he  were 
in  a  capacity  to  bestow  it." 

M.  Beza,  another  French  physician,  invented  in  1710  a 
mechanical  chair,  running  on  small  wheels,  chiefly  intended  for 
the  use  of  invalids.  The  chair  was  drawn  by  a  belt  connected 
with  the  rear  axle,  and  was  probably  similar  to  Sir  Isaac 
Newton's  carriage  already  described.  A  year  later  an  adver- 
tisement appeared  in  the  London  newspapers  of  carriages  to 
be  driven  without  horses,  "  an  invention  of  a  wonderful  chariot 
in  which  Persons  may  travel  several  miles  an  Hour,  without  the 
assistance  of  Horses,  and  measure  the  Miles  as  they  go ;  it 
turns  or  goes  back  ;  having  the  Praise  of  all  Persons  of  Quality 
and  ingenious  Men  that  have  seen  it."  These  carriages,  which 
do  not  appear  to  have  come  into  any  degree  of  popular  favour, 


8  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

were  apparently  on  the  plan  of  Richard's  mechanical  chair,  and 
were  driven  by  a  servant  either  working  treadles  or  turning  a 
winch. 

A  new  use  of  wind  in  the  propelling  of  road  waggons  was 
tried  in  France  in  1714  by  M.  Du  Quet.  Instead  of  sails  this 
inventor  designed  a  small  windmill,  the  rotary  movement  of 
which  was  transmitted  in  one  case  to  two  pairs  of  legs  fixed 
on  either  side  of  a  wheeled  waggon,  the  forward  motion  being 
imparted  by  the  alternate  thrusting  forward  and  pulling  up  of 
the  legs  ;  and  in  the  other  of  a  direct  gearing  from  the  wind- 
mill to  the  wheels  themselves  by  ratchet  bars  and  pinions.  As 
in  the  case  of  so  many  other  ingenious  inventions  it  is  not 
known  whether  this  particular  system  was  carried  any  further, 
but  probably  it  was  not.  Another  and  still  more  ingenious 
application  of  the  windmill,  however,  was  described  in  1760  by 
the  Rev.  J.  H.  Genevois,  a  Swiss  clergyman.  In  this  case  it 
was  proposed  to  use  either  a  windmill  or  sails  that  should 
store  energy  in  the  carriage  by  means  of  springs,  which  could 
be  used  when  the  wind  failed.  The  British  Admiralty  made 
some  inquiries  into  this  system,  but  it  did  not  get  beyond  the 
stage  of  plans  and  models.  There  are  a  great  many  variations 
of  these  devices  recorded  throughout  the  eighteenth  century, 
all  providing  either  for  the  action  of  the  wind  upon  the  sails 
or  vanes,  or  for  the  propulsion  of  the  carriage  from  within  by 
means  of  hand  cranks  or  pedals.  Spasmodic  attention  was, 
indeed,  devoted  to  sailing  carriages  until  quite  late  in  the  nine- 
teenth century ;  but  that  was  a  mere  offshoot  from  the  main 
stem  of  development  and  was  not  destined  to  lead  to  any 
profitable  result.  Visitors  to  Southport  will  remember  the 
sailing  carriages  which  were  in  use  on  the  sands  there  until 
quite  recently.  These  were  simply  cutter-rigged  boats  mounted 
on  two  pairs  of  wheels  ;  they  could  tack  against  the  wind,  and 
were  capable  of  high  speed  ;  but  the  necessity  for  having  an 
absolutely  open  space  on  which  to  manoiuvre,  to  say  nothing 
of  the  caprices  of  the  wind,  rendered  such  devices  useless  for 
any  practical  purpose. 

During  the  eighteenth  century,  however,  experiments  were 
being  made  with  steam  ;  and  although  it  was  not  until  late  in 
the  century  that  any  attempt  was  made  to  apply  it  to  road 
carriages,  nevertheless  much  was  done  in    evolving   a   sound 


THE   EVOLUTION   OF  THE   MOTOR-CAR  9 

method  of  applying  the  expansive  properties  of  steam  in 
practical  mechanics.  Newcomen  and  Watt  were  busy  on  the 
cylinder  and  piston;  but  it  was  not  until  the  year  1769  that 
it  occurred  to  any  to  make  some  attempt  to  turn  the  recipro- 
cating motion  of  the  piston  into  a  rotary  movement  which 
could  be  applied  to  the  propulsion  of  a  vehicle.  Nicholas 
Joseph  Cugnot,  a  French  military  engineer,  designed  in  1769 
a  steam  carriage,  which  was  built  for  him  by  Brezin,  in  which 
this  principle  was  imperfectly  applied  ;    and  in   the  following 


cugnot's  steam  carriage,  1770 

year  an  improved  carriage  was  built  at  the  Royal  Arsenal  in 
Paris  by  the  order  of  the  Minister  of  War.  This  machine  still 
exists,  and  may  be  seen  at  the  Conservatoire  des  Arts  et 
Metiers,  and  a  scale  model  of  it  has  been  erected  in  the 
South  Kensington  Museum,  exhibit  No.  96  of  the  Mechanical 
Engineering  Collection  in  the  Science  Division.  For  political 
reasons  this  machine  was  never  tried,  but  Cugnot's  first  machine 
was,  and  travelled  on  a  common  road,  carrying  four  persons, 
attaining  a  speed  of  2^  miles  per  hour.  As  the  boiler  capacity 
was  insufficient,  however,  it  was  not  able  to  run  for  more  than 
fifteen  minutes  without  pausing  to  get  up  steam  again.    Cugnot's 


10  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

vehicle,  which  is  of  great  interest,  as  being  the  first  practical 
steam  road  vehicle,  is  a  heavy  three-wheeled  lorry,  carrying  in 
front  of  it  an  overhanging  copper  boiler.  The  single  front 
wheel,  which  is  of  great  strength  and  weight,  is  driven  by  two 
single-acting  vertical  cylinders,  13  inches  in  diameter  by  13- 
inch  stroke.  These  two  pistons  are  connected  by  a  rocking 
beam,  to  which  they  are  coupled  by  chains  attached  to  levers 
mounted  on  the  axle  of  the  driving  wheel.  They  alternately 
work  the  front  wheel  by  pawls  acting  on  two  modified  and 
reversible  ratchet  wheels.  The  distribution  of  steam  to  the 
two  cylinders  is  effected  by  a  four-way  cock  so  arranged  that 
in  each  position  it  opens  one  cylinder  to  the  steam  supply  and 
the  other  to  the  atmosphere.  It  is  operated  by  a  tappet  motion 
from  the  piston-rods.  The  rear  part  of  the  machine  is  con- 
nected by  a  vertical  bolt  to  the  front  wheel ;  and  by  means  of 
gearing  from  the  driver's  seat  the  fore-carriage  can  be  turned 
through  fifty  degrees,  thus  enabling  the  driver  to  steer  the 
carriage. 

But  France,  after  the  invention  of  Cugnot's  carriage,  con- 
tributed practically  nothing  to  the  development  of  auto-loco- 
motion for  a  full  century.  As  Mr.  Garrett  Fisher  has  said, 
"  before  the  Revolution  she  was  too  languid,  after  it  too  busy." 
For  the  next  stage  in  its  progress  we  must  turn  to  England  ; 
and  indeed  to  England  belongs  almost  the  entire  credit  for  the 
evolution  of  the  steam  carriage.  Richard  Trevithick,  whom  Mr. 
Rhys  Jenkins  describes  as  "  perhaps  the  greatest  inventive 
genius  that  has  ever  appeared  in  this  country,  and  the  man 
who  of  all  others  is  justly  entitled  to  be  styled  the  '  father  of 
the  locomotive,' "  was  a  Cornish  mining  engineer  who  was 
engaged,  in  connection  with  the  firm  of  Boulton  and  Watt,  in 
adapting  Watt's  steam  engine  to  the  work  of  pumping  water 
out  of  mines.  He  invented  and  constructed  in  the  year  1800 
the  first  steam  carriage  which  carried  people  on  English  roads. 
Some  years  before  this  Watt  had  entertained  the  idea  of  a  steam 
carriage,  and  even  worked  a  little  at  designing  one ;  but  he 
could  never  bring  himself  to  believe  in  its  possibility,  and  his 
nearest  approach  to  confidence  was  when  he  wrote  to  his  partner 
Boulton,  "  I  have  one  of  some  size  under  hand,  and  am  resolved 
to  try  if  God  will  work  a  miracle  with  these  carriages  .  .  .  but  I 
have  small  hopes  of  their  ever  becoming  useful."    Such  a  doubter 


THE   EVOLUTION   OF  THE   MOTOR-CAR 


11 


was  not  likely  to  achieve  success ;  and  it  is  a  curious  fact,  and 
one  by  no  means  to  Watt's  credit,  that  even  these  faint-hearted 
efforts  of  his  were  chiefly  inspired  by  jealousy  and  a  fear  that 
someone  else  should  supersede  him.  He  took  out  a  patent  in 
1784,  which  included  a  steam  carriage;  this  machine  he  ad- 
mitted to  have  been  "  very  defective,  and  can  only  serve  to  keep 
other  people  from  similar  patents."  That  he  was  haunted  by 
the  idea  of  auto-locomotion,  but  felt  that  he  himself  was  unable 
to  solve  the  problem  presented  by  it,  is  obvious  from  his  letters 
to  Boulton.  He  continued  to  throw  out  suggestions  and  theories 
on  the  subject ;  but  they  were  all  concerned  with  details,  and 


murdock's  model  steam  carriage,  17S4 


avoided  the  real  difficulties  of  the  problem.  He  was  more  inter- 
ested in  proposing  that  copper  would  be  a  good  material  for  the 
boiler  than  in  solving  the  difficulty  of  designing  a  light  boiler 
that  would  supply  enough  steam  ;  and  his  childish  theory  that 
"  the  shaking  of  the  carriage  would  supersede  the  necessity  of 
poking  the  fire  "  shows  upon  what  trifling  matters  his  attention 
was  fixed.  His  whole  attitude  with  regard  to  the  subject  of 
steam  carriages  is  unworthy  of  a  man  whose  fame  is  and  must 
for  ever  be  inseparable  from  the  history  of  the  steam  engine. 

The  real  cause  of  Watt's  alarms  and  jealousies  seems  to  have 
been  the  activity  of  his  assistant,  William  Murdock,  who  in 
1784  had  constructed  a  model  steam  carriage.  This  was  a  very 
simple,  three-wheeled  affair,  with  a  single  cylinder,  the  piston  of 


12  THE   COMPLETE  MOTORIST 

which  was  directly  attached  to  a  rocking  beam.  It  is  interesting 
because  it  contains  the  first  apphcation  of  the  crank  to  convert 
the  up-and-down  motion  of  the  piston-rod  into  a  circular  motion. 
A  rod  connected  the  rocking  beam  with  a  crank  fastened  to  one 
of  the  rear  wheels,  thus  driving  the  carriage.  This  model  was  tried 
on  the  road  one  dark  night  in  the  village  of  Redruth  in  Cornwall, 
when  it  ran  away  from  its  inventor,  and  nearly  frightened  the 
village  parson  (who  took  it  to  be  the  devil)  out  of  his  wits.  For 
two  years  Murdock  continued  to  work  in  his  spare  time  at  his 
model,  and  in  1796  informed  his  principals,  Boulton  and  Watt, 
that  he  had  succeeded  in  constructing  a  satisfactory  steam- 
carriage.  But  this  so  alarmed  the  jealous  Watt  that  he  provided 
his  clever  assistant  with  work  which  kept  him  closely  occupied, 
and  so  prevented  him  from  devoting  any  more  time  to  steam 
carriages. 

In  this  same  year  Trevithick,  who  was  also  engaged  in  mining 
work  in  Cornwall,  constructed  his  first  model  steam  carriage. 
This,  again  a  three-wheeled  vehicle,  is  driven  by  a  vertical 
engine,  the  cylinder  of  which  is  placed  partly  in  the  boiler. 
Side  rods  connect  a  cross-head  on  the  piston-rod  with  crank 
pins  on  the  rear  wheels,  which  are  also  connected  by  toothed 
gearing  with  a  fly-wheel.  In  1801  Trevithick's  experiment  had 
developed  so  successfully  that  he  began  the  construction  of  a 
full-sized  carriage,  which  was  finished  before  the  end  of  the  year, 
and  made  its  trial  trip  on  Christmas  Eve.  The  carriage,  carrying 
seven  or  eight  people,  was  driven  up  Camborne  Beacon  for  half 
a  mile  "faster  than  a  man  could  walk."  In  1802  Trevithick 
took  out  a  patent  for  his  improved  steam  carriage.  The  vertical 
boiler  and  engine  had  been  abandoned  in  favour  of  the  hori- 
zontal position,  and  instead  of  direct  coupling  to  the  wheels  he 
employed  a  crank  shaft,  which  was  geared  to  the  main  road 
wheels  by  spur  wheels.  Trevithick  pointed  out  that  "  the  power 
of  the  engine  with  regard  to  its  convenient  application  to  the 
carriage  may  be  varied  by  changing  the  relative  velocity  of  rota- 
tion of  the  road  wheels,  compared  with  that  of  the  crank  axis,  by 
shifting  the  gears  or  toothed  wheels  for  others  of  different  sizes 
properly  adapted  to  each  other" — thus  anticipating  the  modern 
change-speed  gear  used  in  connection  with  petrol  engines.  But, 
like  so  many  even  of  the  successful  inventors  of  the  period, 
Trevithick    soon    discontinued    his   experiments   in   road  loco- 


THE   EVOLUTION   OF  THE   MOTOR-CAR 


13 


motion.  He  turned  his  attention  to  tramways  and  railway 
engines ;  but  even  here,  although  he  exhibited  an  engine  run- 
ning on  an  experimental  circular  track  in  London,  he  received 
such  scant  encouragement  that  he  abandoned  locomotive  en- 
gineering for  other  pursuits. 

With  this  inventor,  and  with  the  eighteenth  century,  the  first 
period  of  experiment  may  be  said  to  have  ended.  The  con- 
dition of  the  English  roads  was  such  that  even  had  a  practical 
steam  road-carriage  been  built,  its  use  would  have  been  almost 


trevithick's  steam  carriage,  1802 


impossible.  Arthur  Young,  the  great  reformer  of  English 
agriculture  (1741-1820),  wrote  of  English  roads  at  the  end  of  the 
eighteenth  century  that  there  w^ere  only  four  good  ones — the  road 
from  Salisbury  to  Romney,  the  North  Road  from  London  to 
Barnet,  the  road  from  London  to  Chelmsford,  and  a  length 
of  new  road  in  Wales.  So  we  must  picture  England,  where  the 
idea  whose  early  wanderings  we  traced  at  the  beginning  of  the 
chapter  had  at  last  found  a  likely  and  hopeful  soil,  still  un- 
prepared to  make  use  of  the  new  power  that  was  being  cradled 
within  her  shores.  Rain-visited  landscapes,  as  to-day,  darkened 
by  clouds  and   bleak   of  climate ;    tracks  and  lanes  ploughed 


14  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

through  pasture  and  park,  deep  in  mud  and  mire,  sown  with 
pitfalls,  interrupted  by  chasms  and  subsidences,  never  drained, 
but  lying  saturated  and  stagnant  in  oozing  filth  ;  communication 
between  places  slow,  laborious,  and  dangerous,  involving  long 
journeys  on  horseback  or  by  the  lumbering,  hazardous  coaches 
— these  were  not  conditions  likely  to  encourage  the  application 
of  brains,  time,  and  money  to  problems  of  road  locomotion. 
So  far  our  idea  had  but  hovered  about  the  workshops  and  the 
designer's  office  ;  and  it  was  not  until  the  next  period,  embracing 
the  second  quarter  of  the  nineteenth  century,  that  it  found 
itself  upon  the  open  road. 

II 

The  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century  brought  to  recogni- 
tion the  work  of  two  men  whose  craft  was  destined  to  have 
a  remarkable  effect  on  the  development  of  auto-locomotion. 
Thomas  Telford,  the  son  of  an  Eskdale  shepherd,  began  his 
career  by  being  apprenticed  to  a  stonemason,  and  made  such 
progress  that  at  the  beginning  of  the  century  he  was  County 
Surveyor  of  Shropshire,  had  constructed  the  Ellesmere  Canal 
joining  the  Mersey,  Dee,  and  Severn,  and  built  various  aque- 
ducts and  iron  bridges.  In  1802  he  began  his  work  on  roads, 
and  in  the  eighteen  years  following  he  made  and  opened 
920  miles  of  good  road  and  1,200  bridges.  Telford's  system 
of  roadmaking  was  expensive  and  elaborate,  as  all  sound  road- 
making  must  be.  The  bottom  course  was  of  freestone  blocks 
set  into  their  places  by  hand,  with  the  spaces  between  them 
filled  and  packed  and  rammed  also  by  hand.  At  every  hundred 
yards  a  drain  was  set  right  across  the  road,  and  a  second  course 
was  then  laid  of  small  broken  whinstones.  The  top  or  binding 
course  was  of  one  inch  of  gravel,  which  readily  bedded  down 
and  made  a  clean  surface.  The  improvement  effected  by 
Telford's  scientific  methods  may  be  imagined  when  we  remember 
that  hitherto  roads,  where  they  had  been  laid  at  all,  had  simply 
been  laid  with  cartloads  of  round  flints  and  gravel,  which  the 
wheels  of  heavy  waggons,  instead  of  rolling  and  consolidating, 
ploughed  into  ruts. 

Macadam,  an  Ayrshire  roadmaker,  was  also  working  a  revolu- 
tion in  the  methods  by  which  the  bridle  tracks  and  roads  were 


THE   EVOLUTION   OF  THE   MOTOR-CAR 


15 


kept  up.  Before  his  time  they  were  maintained  by  statute 
labour,  which  was  as  much  hated  and  neglected  as  the  French 
system  of  Coi'vee.  The  system  of  tolls  was  instituted  instead 
of  the  statute  labour,  with  the  result  that  the  roads  became 
immediately  passable  by  chaises  and  coaches.  Macadam  made 
a  further  improvement  on  Telford's  system  by  substituting  for 
unbroken  flints  the  angular  granite  fragments,  now  known  as 
road  metal,  which  have  ever  since  formed  the  smooth  hard 
surface  with  which  his  name  is  associated.  These  two  men 
practically  rediscovered  the  art  of  roadmaking,  which  had  been 
lost  in  England  for  so  long,  and  their  work  survives  to-day  in 
the  fine  English  main  roads,  which  have  made  the  development 
of  automobilism  at  once  possible  and   pleasant.     No  one  can 


CARRIAGE   BY  JULIUS   GRIFFITHS,    lS22 


travel  on,  say,  Telford's  Holyhead  Road,  famous  for  its  beauti- 
ful surface,  its  fine  curves  and  easy  gradients,  its  noble  width, 
its  bridges  and  culverts,  without  a  keen  sense  of  admiration  for 
the  man  whose  life-work  took  so  grand  and  dignified  and  lasting 
a  form.  With  the  improvement  in  the  roads  came  a  sudden 
stimulus  in  the  building  of  steam  carriages.  Mr.  Rhys  Jenkins 
notes  that  between  the  years  1832  and  1838  there  were  not  far 
short  of  a  dozen  companies  formed  to  work  lines  of  steam 
coaches.  He  mentions  among  others  the  London  and  Birming- 
ham Steam  Carriage  Company,  1832;  the  Paddington  and 
London  Steam  Carriage  Company,  1832 ;  Heaton's  Steam 
Carriage  Company,  1833  ;  the  London,  Holyhead,  and  Liver- 
pool Steam  Carriage  and  Road  Company,  1834;  the  Steam 
Carriage  Company  of  Scotland,   1834;    the  Hibernian  Steam 


16 


THE  COMPLETE   MOTORIST 


Coach  Company,  1834;  and  the  Steam  Carnage  and  Waggon 
Company,  1838. 

There  was  no  dearth  of  engineers  working  at  steam-carriages 
to  supply  this  new  demand.  The  carriages  of  Griffiths,  of 
Gordon,  of  Brunton,  of  Burstall  &  Hill,  of  James  &  Anderson, 
of  Henry  Peto,  and  of  James  Nasmyth  were  all  improvements 
on  anything  that  had  been  done  before,  and  many  of  them 
successfully  carried  heavy  loads  of  passengers ;  but  it  was  not 
until  Goldsworthy  Gurney  (1793- 187 5),  who,  when  a  boy  in 
Cornwall,  had  seen  Trevithick  working  with  his  models,  himself 
turned  his  attention  to  the  construction  of  steam  coaches  that 
they  came  into  use  as  public  conveyances.      In   1827  he  had 


STEAM   CARRIAGE   BY   DAVID   GORDON,    1824 


constructed  a  large  coach  capable  of  carrying  twenty-one 
passengers,  the  steam  being  generated  in  a  water-tube  boiler 
fitted  with  steam  drums,  or  separators,  for  the  purpose  of 
ensuring  a  supply  of  dry  steam  for  the  cylinders.  In  this  first 
carriage  Gurney  fitted  propelling  legs  in  addition  to  the  usual 
mechanism  for  driving  the  wheels,  as  he  was  afraid  that  in 
starting  the  wheels  would  simply  turn  round  and  not  move  the 
carriage.  These,  however,  were  abandoned  in  his  later  models. 
This  carriage  made  many  runs  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Lon- 
don, sometimes  attaining  a  speed  of  fifteen  miles  an  hour,  and 
was  afterwards  sent  to  Wales,  where  it  remained  in  use  as  a 
tramway  locomotive  for  two  years,  during  which  period  it  only 
needed  the  slightest  repairs. 


THE  EVOLUTION   OF  THE   MOTOR-CAR 


17 


The  following  table  of  references  to  the  print  of  Goldsworthy 
Gurney's  steam-carriage  appeared  in  the  Mirror  of  Literature, 
Amusement,  and  Instruction,  15  December,  1827: — ■ 

1.  The  Guide  and  Engineer,  to  whom  the  whole  management  of  the 
machinery  and  conduct  of  the  Carriage  is  entrusted.  Besides  this 
man,  a  Guard  will  be  employed. 

2.  The  Handle,  which  guides  the  Pole  and  Pilot  Wheels. 

3.  The  Pilot  Wheels. 

4.  The  Pole. 


gurney's  first  steam  coach,  1827 

5.  The  fore  Boot  for  luggage. 

6.  The  "Throttle  Valve"  of  the  main  steam-pipe,  which,  by  means 
of  the  handle,  is  opened  or  closed  at  pleasure,  the  power  of  the  steam 
and  the  progress  of  the  carriage  being  thereby  regulated  from  i  to  10 
or  20  miles  an  hour. 

7.  The  Tank  for  water,  running  from  end  to  end  and  the  full  breadth 
of  the  carriage  :  it  will  contain  60  gallons  of  water. 

8.  The  Carriage,  capable  of  holding  six  inside-passengers. 

9.  Outside  Passengers,  of  which  the  present  carriage  will  carry  15. 

10.  The   Hind   Boot,    containing   the   Boiler  and   Furnace.     The 

c 


18  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

Boiler  is  encased  in  sheet-iron,  and  between  the  pipes  the  coke  and 
charcoal  are  put,  the  front  being  closed  in  the  ordinary  way  by  an  iron 
door.  The  pipes  extend  from  the  cylindrical  reservoirs  of  water  at  the 
bottom  to  the  cylindrical  chamber  for  steam  at  the  top,  forming  a 
succession  of  lines  something  like  a  horse-shoe  turned  edgeways.  The 
steam  enters  the  "separators"  through  large  pipes,  which  are  observ- 
able on  the  Plan,  and  is  thence  conducted  to  its  proper  destination. 

11.  "Separators,"  in  which  the  steam  is  separated  from  the  water, 
the  water  descending  and  returning  to  the  boiler,  while  the  steam 
ascends  and  is  forced  into  the  steam-pipes  or  main  arteries  of  the 
machine. 

12.  The  Pump,  by  which  the  water  is  pumped  from  the  tank,  by 
means  of  a  flexible  hose,  to  the  reservoir  communicating  with  the 
boiler. 

13.  The  Main  Steam-Pipe,  descending  from  the  "  Separators,"  and 
proceeding  in  a  direct  line  under  the  body  of  the  coach  to  the  "  throttle 
valve  "  (No.  6),  and  thence  under  the  tank  to  the  cylinders  from  which 
the  pistons  work. 

14.  Flues  of  the  Furnace,  from  which  there  is  no  smoke,  coke  and 
charcoal  being  used. 

15.  The  Perches,  of  which  there  are  three,  conjoined,  to  support  the 
machinery. 

16.  The  Cylinder.     There  is  one  between  each  perch. 

17.  Valve  Motion,  admitting  steam  alternately  to  each  side  of  the 
pistons. 

18.  Cranks,  operating  on  the  axle  ;  at  the  end  (jf  the  axle  are  crotches 
(No.  21)  which,  as  the  axle  turns  round,  catch  projecting  pieces  of  iron 
on  the  boxes  of  the  wheels  and  give  them  the  rotary  motion.  The 
hind  wheels  only  are  thus  operated  on. 

19.  Propellors,  which,  as  the  carriage  ascends  a  hill,  are  set  in 
motion  and  move  like  the  hind  legs  of  a  horse,  catching  the  ground 
and  thus  forcing  the  machine  forward,  increasing  the  rapidity  of  its 
motion  and  assisting  the  steam  power. 

20.  The  Drag,  which  is  applied  to  increase  the  friction  on  the 
wheel  in  going  down  a  hill.  This  is  also  assisted  by  diminishing  the 
pressure  of  the  steam — or,  if  necessary,  inverting  the  motion  of  the 
wheels. 

21.  The  Clutch,  by  which  the  wheel  is  sent  round. 

22.  The  Safety  Valve,  which  regulates  the  proper  pressure  of  the 
steam  in  the  pipe. 

23.  The  Orifice  for  filling  the  tank.  This  is  done  by  means  of  a 
flexible  hose  and  a  funnel,  and  occupies  but  a  few  seconds. 


THE   EVOLUTION   OF  THE   MOTOR-CAR 


19 


Gurney,  like  many  pioneers,  had  to  put  up  with  a  good  deal 
of  stupid  opposition  as  well  as  open  hostility.  On  one  journey 
which  he  made  to  Bath  with  a  number  of  guests  his  carriage 
was  attacked  at  Melksham,  where  there  happened  to  be  a  fair. 
The  people  formed  such  a  dense  mass  that  it  was  impossible  to 
move  the  carriage  through  them  ;  the  crowd,  being  mainly  com- 
posed of  agricultural  labourers,  considered  all  machinery  directly 
injurious  to  their  interests,  and  with  a  cry  of  "  Down  with  all 
machinery,"  they   set   upon    the    carriage   and    its    occupants, 


SIR   CHARLES   DANCE's   CARRIAGE,    1833 

seriously  injuring  Mr.  Gurney  and  his  assistant  engineer,  who 
had  to  be  taken  to  Bath  in  a  post-carriage  in  an  unconscious 
condition. 

Gurney,  however,  was  not  so  easily  disheartened  as  some  of 
his  predecessors.  He  continued  working  at  his  carriages,  and 
in  1 83 1  Sir  Charles  Dance  started  a  service  of  steam  carriages 
between  Cheltenham  and  Gloucester,  which  was  worked  by 
Gurney  drags.  In  spite  of  local  feeling  (which  was  still  very 
hostile,  and  manifested  itself  by  attempts  at  wrecking),  the 
project  was  successful ;  and  during  a  period  in  which  some  four 
hundred  journeys  were  made  the  steam  coaches  earned  a  profit 


20 


THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 


for  their  owners.  This  service  continued  until  in  1840  it  and 
all  similar  enterprises  were  killed  by  the  stupid  imposition  of 
ruinously  heavy  tolls  on  self-propelled  vehicles.  Gurney's  price 
for  a  steam  coach  was  ;i{^  1,000,  and  his  royalty  on  all  public 
services  which  used  them  was  sixpence  a  mile.  In  spite  of  this 
his  losses  caused  by  the  tolls  were  so  heavy  that  a  committee 
of  the  House  of  Commons  appointed  to  consider  the  matter 
recommended  a  grant  to  him  of  ^16,000  in  recognition  of  his 
public  services. 

More  successful  than  Gurney  was  Walter  Hancock  (1799- 
1852),  a  mechanical  engineer  of  London,  who  early  in  his  career 
devoted  himself  to  the  steam-carriage  problem.  His  machines 
were  much  more  practical  than  anything  that  had  been  made 


James's  steam  carriage,  1824 


before,  and  he  introduced  many  improvements.  He  increased  the 
boiler  pressure,  which  had  hitherto  been  anything  between  10  lbs. 
and  50  lbs.  per  square  inch,  to  100  lbs.  per  square  inch.  His  boiler 
consisted  of  a  number  of  vertical  rectangular  compartments 
placed  above  the  fire-grate  an^i  connected  by  tubes  at  top  and 
bottom,  a  forced  draught  being  formed  by  a  fan  at  the  top  of 
the  fire-box.  His  engine  was  vertical  with  two  cylinders,  and 
drove  a  crank  shaft  geared  to  the  main  axle — not,  as  before, 
by  cog-wheels,  but  by  chain  of  improved  construction.  The 
engine  was  placed  in  a  separate  compartment  where  it  was 
possible  to  keep  it  clean,  and  for  the  first  time  a  clutch  was 
used  to  throw  the  engine  in  and  out  of  gear,  so  that  when  the 
carriage  was  stationary  the,  feed-pump  and  furnace  fan  might 
still  be  driven,  Hancock  built  about  ten  vehicles  and  gave 
them  all  names ;  the  most  famous  of  them  were  the  "  Infant," 


22 


THE  COMPLETE   MOTORIST 


the  "Autopsy,"  the  "Era,"  the  "Enterprise,"  and  the  "Auto- 
maton." Hancock  paid  much  attention  to  the  comfort  of  his 
passengers,  and  altogether  improved  the  carriage  portion  of  his 
vehicle  as  well  as  the  machinery.     He  worked  a  most  successful 


Hancock's  steam  coach  "era,"  1833 

service  of  cars  between  the  City  and  Paddington,  beginning  in 
the  year  1834,  which,  until  the  year  1840,  was  conducted  at  a 
profit ;  after  which  year  Hancock  devoted  himself  for  a  time 
to  railway  locomotive  construction.    He  felt  that  he  had  not  re- 


t^AUTONATQiK 


Hancock's  "automaton,"  1836 

ceived  the  official  recognition  which  the  perfection  of  his  vehicle 
and  the  success  of  such  services  as  he  was  able  himself  to  con- 
duct undoubtedly  warranted  ;  and  it  is  true  that  he  solved 
many  a  problem  which  (owing  to  the  foolish  legislation  that 


THE   EVOLUTION   OF  THE   MOTOR-CAR 


23 


killed  automobilism  in  this  country)  has  had  to  be  studied  and 
solved  again  in  our  own  day. 

Until   the   year    1840  several  engineers  continued   to    build 
steam  coaches  and  to  run  them  successfully  on  various  public 


church's  steam  coach,  1S33 


SIDE   VIEW  OF   church's  COACH 


services.  Dr.  Church's  steam  coach  (1833)  was  indeed  a  mar- 
vellous construction,  in  outline  and  ornamentation  something 
between  a  gipsy  van,  a  merry-go-round,  and  a  ship's  saloon. 
Other  constructors  of  successful  coaches  were  Maceroni  &  Squire, 


24 


THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 


Ogle  &  Summers,  Hill,  of  Deptford,  and  the  Steam  Carriage 
Company  of  Scotland.  But  in  1840  the  tolls  had  increased 
to  such  a  point  that  it  was  impossible  to  run  steam  carriages 
profitably.  A  Parliamentary  Committee  appointed  to  consider 
the  matter  found  that  "on  the  Liverpool  and  Prescott  Road 


rickett's  carriage,  1861 


carrett's  steam  carriage, 


Mr.  Gurney  would  be  charged  £2  8^.,  while  a  loaded  stage- 
coach would  pay  under  a^s.  On  the  Bathgate  Road  the  same 
carriage  would  be  charged  £\  ys.  id.,  while  a  coach  drawn  by 
four  horses  would  pay  53-.  On  the  Ashburton  and  Totnes 
road  Mr.  Gurney  would  have  to  pay  £2,  while  a  coach  drawn 
by  four  horses  would  be  charged  only  3^."     The  development 


THE    EVOLUTION   OF  THE   MOTOR-CAR  25 

of  railways  at  about  this  time  also  diverted  public  interest ; 
while  the  railways  themselves,  short-sighted  then  as  now,  were 
actively  hostile  to  road  locomotion.  So  that  gradually  the 
steam  coach  disappeared  from  the  roads,  and  attention  was 
paid  instead  to  the  traction-engine  and  the  use  of  mechanical 
tractors  for  driving  heavy  goods.  With  the  development  of 
these  an  agitation  was  raised  against  the  toll  laws,  as  a 
result  of  which  laws  were  passed  in  1861  and  1865  providing 
for  a  uniform  scale  of  tolls  throughout  the  country.  As  these 
Acts,  however,  regulated  the  weight  and  speed  of  the  vehicles, 


Randolph's  steam  carriage,  1872 

they  were  useless  for  the  purpose  of  passenger  carriage,  and, 
indeed,  they  effectually  killed  auto-locomotion  on  the  roads  of 
this  country.  All  the  pains  and  expense,  all  the  time  and 
patience  that  had  been  devoted  to  bringing  this  industry  to  the 
point  at  which  it  had  arrived  in  1840  were,  if  not  actually 
wasted,  at  any  rate  robbed  of  their  due  development  and  reward. 
The  industry  in  which  England  should  have  led  the  world 
was  left  to  be  taken  up  by  other  nations,  who  are  still  reaping 
the  profit  of  their  thirty  years'  start.  Here  and  there,  indeed, 
in  this  country  an  enthusiastic  inventor  would  build  a  carriage 
in  spite  of  the  laws  ;  here  and  there  an  adventurous  citizen 
would  buy  and  run  steara  carriages  (chiefly  by  night)  at  the 


26 


THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 


risk  of  fine  and  imprisonment.  The  chief  makers  of  these 
carriages  were  Rickett  (1861),  Carrett  (1861),  Yarrow  & 
Hilditch  (1862),  Knight  (1868),  Catley  &  Ayres  (1869),  J.  L. 
Todd  (1879),  Charles  Randolph  (1872),  Blackburn  (1878),  and 
Inshaw  (1881).  But  it  cannot  be  said  that,  with  the  exception 
of  Randolph's  carriage,  these  vehicles  presented  any  very  novel 
or  valuable  features,  or  that  they  carried  the  evolution  of  the 
motor-car  much  farther  than  it  had  been  brought  by  Hancock. 
As  an  industry  the  thing  was  dead. 

Before  we  leave  this  period  it  is  worth  while  to  notice  the 
curiously  childlike  enthusiasm  which  flourished  in  the  palmy 
days  of  the  steam  carriage.  These  things  were  new  toys  to 
the  nation,  and  were  hailed  by  those  manifestations  of  extrava- 


GOLDSWORTHY   GURNEY's  STEAM   COACH,    1S33 


gance  and  zeal  which  mark  the  infancy  of  all  such  schemes. 
About  the  same  time,  or  a  little  later,  the  same  temper  was 
seen  in  connection  with  the  railways,  over  which  the  whole 
country  went  mad— an  emotion  which  is  expressed  in  a  curiously 
accurate  way  in  Frith's  picture  "  The  Railway  Station."  The 
reverent  and  solemn  enthusiasm,  the  wildly  sanguine  and  ex- 
travagant dreams — they  are  all  there  in  the  faces  of  the  people, 
in  the  very  arches  and  spaces  of  the  station  itself.  It  has  its 
monument  to  this  day  in  the  portal  of  Euston  Station — that 
monstrous  mass ;  and  you  see  it  again  applied  to  other  depart- 
ments of  life  in  the  Albert  Hall  and  the  Crystal  Palace.  But 
even  to  such  things  as  these  we  may  be  reconciled  if  we  take 
them  as  a  sign  that  the  world  can  always  be  young  and  can 
perennially  exhibit  the  same  droll  infatuation  with  a  new  idea 
or   a  new  toy.     And    so  with  the  old   steam  coaches.     Vast, 


THE   EVOLUTION   OF  THE   MOTOR-CAR  27 

unshapely  bodies  perched  on  uncouth  frames  and  monstrous 
wheels,  weirdly  decorated,  childishly  emblazoned,  riotously 
extravagant  in  bulk  and  weight,  top-heavy  and  ill-balanced, 
grotesque  and  formidable,  terrifying  and  ludicrous,  belching 
clouds  of  black  smoke  and  showers  of  cinders,  enveloped  in 
dust,  their  passage  accompanied  by  the  shrieks  and  barks  of 
dogs,  the  whinnying  panic  of  horses,  the  terror  and  delight 
of  children,  the  wonder  and  admiration  of  the  polite  world — 
are  they  not,  after  all,  typical  of  that  joyful,  sanguine  enthu- 
siasm over  a  new  discovery  that  can  hope  all  things,  admire 
all  things,  endure  all  things  ?  And  would  not  one  like  to  have 
been  there  some  sunny  morning  when  the  "Autopsy"  was 
starting  from  the  "Angel"  towards  the  Euston  Road,  or  when 
the  "  Era,"  turning  the  corner  of  some  Wiltshire  greenwood, 
passed  triumphantly  on  its  way  from  London  to  Marlborough, 
with  the  children  cheering  and  the  dogs  barking?  We  may 
be  sure  that  its  passengers  tasted  and  enjoyed  to  the  full  those 
little  pleasures  and  excitements  of  the  open  road — pleasures 
and  excitements  that  we  have  only  lately  rediscovered. 

Ill 

So  far  the  efforts  to  construct  an  auto-motive  road  carriage 
had  concerned  themselves  almost  exclusively  with  the  steam 
engine.  There  had  been  a  few  attempts  to  use  clockwork,  and 
in  1870  a  clockwork  omnibus  was  constructed  and  tried  in  New 
Orleans.  The  great  weight  of  metal,  however,  necessary  to 
store  power  sufficient  for  any  practical  purpose  led  to  the  early 
abandonment  of  this  method.  There  were  also  experiments 
made  with  compressed  air  ;  but  here  again,  although  in  theory 
the  system  was  a  good  one,  practical  difficulties  proved  in- 
surmountable. The  cost  of  compressing  air  on  a  small  scale 
was  considerable ;  the  weight  of  the  reservoir  necessary  for 
holding  air  stored  at  a  high  pressure  absorbed  a  large  propor- 
tion of  the  power  developed ;  and  there  was  an  inevitable 
wastage  caused  by  the  reduction  of  pressure  as  the  air  was 
used.  For  single  carriages,  therefore,  compressed  air  as  a  motive 
power  proved  unsuitable.  Electricity,  in  the  form  of  primary 
batteries  driving  magneto-electric  motors,  was  also  the  subject  of 
several  experiments;  but  here  again  the  system  was  thoroughly 


28  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

unpractical,  until  in  1871  Gramme  discovered  that  the  dynamo 
when  reversed  was  capable  of  developing  mechanical  energy. 
In  spite  of  the  great  improvement  effected  by  this  discovery, 
a  serious  difficulty  still  remained  in  the  necessity  for  carrying 
heavy  storage  batteries,  which  at  the  best  could  only  furnish 
power  enough  for  a  very  limited  radius  of  travel  ;  and  this 
difficulty  still  remains. 

But  there  was  another  kind  of  motive  power,  the  application 
of  which  was  destined  to  revolutionise  the  idea  and  practice  of 
automobile  construction.  Gottlieb  Daimler  (i  834-1900)  was  a 
mechanical  engineer  who  had  worked  at  his  profession  with 
some  of  the  chief  firms  in  England  and  Germany.  In  the  year 
1884,  having  then  been  for  some  time  Director  of  the  Otto  Gas 
Engine  Works  at  Deutz,  he  produced  and  patented  a  small  gas- 
engine  designed  to  run  at  very  high  speeds — so  high  that  the 
heat  generated  by  it  was  enough  to  ignite  the  charges  of  gas 
furnishing  the  propelling  power.  A  description  of  the  Otto 
cycle,  which  is  the  principle  of  all  petrol  engines,  will  be  found 
in  another  part  of  the  book  ;  it  is  enough  to  say  here  that  the 
motive  power  of  such  engines  is  furnished  by  a  series  of  gas 
explosions  taking  place  in  the  cylinder  itself,  so  that  the  cumber- 
some attachment  of  boiler  and  furnace  are  done  away  with. 
The  next  year  Daimler  improved  his  engine  by  fitting  a  heavy 
fly-wheel  and  by  enclosing  the  crank  in  a  chamber  in  which  a 
valve  capable  of  opening  inwards  but  not  outwards  was  fitted. 
Through  this  valve  the  explosive  mixture  was  automatically 
drawn  by  the  upstroke  of  the  piston.  As  soon  as  the  piston 
began  to  descend  again,  the  valve  was  closed,  and  the  charge 
of  gas  consequently  compressed  within  the  crank  chamber. 
Towards  the  end  of  the  downward  stroke  a  valve  fitted  in  the 
piston  itself  was  mechanically  opened,  thus  allowing  the  com- 
pressed gas  to  fill  the  upper  part  of  the  cylinder.  As  the  piston 
began  again  to  travel  upwards  the  valve  in  the  piston  was 
closed,  and  when  the  piston  reached  the  top  of  its  stroke  the 
charge  was  fired  by  means  of  an  incandescent  tube.  In  order  to 
keep  the  cylinder  from  becoming  red-hot  some  form  of  cooling 
was  necessary,  and  in  Daimler's  first  engine  this  was  effected  by 
a  fan. 

In  the  year  1886  Daimler  fitted  this  engine  to  a  bicycle  by 
placing  it  vertically  between  the  front  and  rear  wheels,  the  rear 


THE   EVOLUTION   OF  THE    MOTOR-CAR 


29 


wheel  being  driven  from  the  engine  by  means  of  a  belt.  Gas 
was  supplied  from  a  carburettor  in  which  the  necessary  mixture 
of  an  explosive  vapour  was  effected  by  causing  the  air  to  enter 
the  liquid  from  below,  thus  combining  with  the  vapour  given  off 
by  it.  This  engine,  crude  as  it  was,  proved  so  satisfactory  that 
Daimler  continued  to  work  at  it,  and  in  1889  constructed  a  two- 
cylinder  engine  the  piston-rods  of  which  were  coupled  to  a 
single  crank.  This  engine  was  the  first  to  attract  the  notice  of 
practical  engineers  and  to  lead  them  to  believe  that  the  explo- 
sion engine  could  successfully  be  applied  to  motor-cars.     The 


GOTTLIEB  Daimler's  bicycle,  1S86 


right  to  manufacture  Daimler's  engine  was  acquired  in  1889  by 
Messrs.  Panhard  &  Levassor,  who  immediately  began  the  con- 
struction of  motor-cars  as  we  understand  them  to-day.  The 
first  Panhard  car  was  brought  out  in  1891,  and  in  that  and  the 
following  three  years  they  had  constructed  about  a  hundred 
cars.  These  cars  were  driven  by  Daimler's  two-cylinder  engine 
of  about  the  same  horse-power  as  we  now  apply  to  the  lightest 
kind  of  motor-bicycle.  They  were,  however,  provided  with  great 
improvements  in  the  way  of  transmission  and  control.  The 
engine  drove  a  longitudinal  horizontal  shaft  (running  beneath 
the  frame)  which  was  connected  with  a  parallel  shaft  above  it 
by  means  of  cogged  wheels  of  various  sizes,  thus  providing  for  a 


30 


THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 


change  of  gearing  and  an  alteration  of  the  speed  of  the  carriage 
while  the  speed  of  the  engine  remained  constant.  The  upper 
longitudinal  shaft  drove,  by  means  of  a  bevel  gear,  a  transverse 
shaft,  which  in  its  turn  was  coupled  by  chains  at  either  end  to 
the  driving  wheel.  It  may  truly  be  said  that  the  latest  devices 
used  in  a  Mercedes  or  Napier,  or  any  other  car  of  1904,  are  but 
an  improvement  and  evolution  of  the  features  of  these  early 
Panhard  cars. 

At  the  same  time  the  firm  of  Peugeot  Freres  was  also  building 
cars  driven  by  Daimler  motors.     Their  methods  were  much  the 


PEUGEOT    BENZINE    CAR,     1895 


same  as  Messrs.  Panhard  &  Levassor's,  but  the  cars  were 
somewhat  lighter  in  construction,  while  the  engines,  instead 
of  being  placed  in  front  as  in  the  Panhard  cars,  were  placed 
behind.  Clutches  were  also  used  for  throwing  the  engine  in 
and  out  of  gear ;  and  the  Ackermann  system  of  carrying  the 
front  wheels  on  a  rigid  axle  with  pivoted  ends  was  used  for 
steering.  Rubber  tyres  were  used,  and  a  maximum  speed 
of  from  ten  to  twelve  miles  an  hour  was  attained. 

The  pioneer  work  of  Benz  in  the  motor  revival  must  not  be 
forgotten.  Quite  independently  of  Daimler,  and  at  about  the 
same  time  (1885),  he  was  building  a  gas  engine  to  be  applied  to 
a  motor-carriage.  In  his  plan,  which  was  retained  in  the  Benz 
carriages  for  many  years,  the  engine  was  placed  at  the  rear 
of  the  carriage  over  the  back  axle.     It  drove  a  vertical  crank 


THE   EVOLUTION   OF  THE   MOTOR-CAR  31 

shaft,  the  chief  object  of  this  arrangement  being  to  ensure 
stabiHty  in  the  steering  of  the  car  by  the  horizontal  position 
of  the  fly-wheel.  The  crank  shaft  was  connected  by  bevel- 
gearing  to  a  short  horizontal  shaft ;  and  this  in  its  turn  was 
coupled  by  a  belt  to  a  horizontal  counter-shaft,  the  ends 
of  which  were  connected  to  the  road  wheels  by  chains  in  the 
usual  way.  There  were  fast  and  loose  pulleys  for  the  belt,  so 
that  the  engine  could  be  run  free  when  it  was  desired  to  stop 
the  car.  Benz's  cylinders  were  cooled  by  a  water-jacket,  and  at 
first  were  worked  on  the  two-stroke  cycle  ;  but  in  the  subsequent 
development  of  this  engine  in  collaboration  with  Roger,  of  Paris, 
the  Otto  four-stroke  cycle  was  adopted. 

IV 

Thus  the  idea  of  auto-locomotion  grew  and  developed,  and 
the  method  of  applying  it  crept  nearer  and  nearer  to  efficiency. 
By  the  year  1894  there  were  quite  a  number  of  carriages  which 
could  be  driven  upon  the  roads  at  speeds  of  from  ten  to  fifteen 
miles  an  hour,  with  something  like  a  certainty  that  they  would 
arrive  at  their  destination.  Activity  in  the  matter  was  practi- 
cally confined  to  France,  as  the  conditions  of  the  law  in 
England  made  it  quite  useless  for  engineers  to  spend  their  time 
on  the  development  of  road  locomotion.  But  public  interest 
and  private  enterprise  had  in  1894  brought  matters  to  such 
a  stage  in  France  that  it  was  felt  that  some  means  should  be 
taken  to  draw  together  the  various  threads  of  enterprise  and  to 
consolidate  individual  efforts  in  a  common  movement.  The 
proprietors  of  the  Petit  Journal  therefore  organised  a  meeting 
of  automobile  vehicles,  which  took  the  form  of  a  run  between 
Paris  and  Rouen  in  1894.  The  announcement  of  this  competi- 
tion created  an  extraordinary  amount  of  interest.  Upwards 
of  a  hundred  cars  were  entered  for  the  contest.  Only  some 
twenty,  however,  ultimately  presented  themselves  for  the  trial 
run,  fourteen  of  which  were  driven  by  petrol  engines,  the 
remainder  being  steam  cars.  It  must  be  remembered  that  at 
this  period  the  steam  engine  had  advanced  much  farther  in 
efficiency  and  light  construction  than  the  petrol  engine.  The 
Comte  de  Dion  and  M.  Serpollet— to  mention  only  two  of  those 
who  had  been  working  at  steam  carriages — had  achieved  very 
satisfactory  results  with  light  boilers  generating  high-pressure 


32  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

steam  and  very  small  engines.  M,  Serpollet's  great  invention 
was  his  boiler,  the  principle  of  which  was  that,  instead  of  storing 
both  water  and  steam,  it  generated  steam  instantaneously,  as  it 
was  required,  by  means  of  flattened  tubes  of  a  very  narrow 
section  which  were  kept  at  a  red  heat  by  the  furnace  and 
through  which  the  water  was  pumped  and  "  flashed  "  into  steam. 
At  the  Paris-Rouen  contest  the  fastest  performance  was  that 
of  the  de  Dion  Bouton  steam  carriage,  which  covered  the 
distance — some  seventy-eight  miles — at  an  average  speed  of 
about  twelve  miles  an  hour.  Almost  all  the  other  carriages, 
with  the  exception  of  those  of  le  Blant  (who  used  the  Serpollet 
generator)  and  Scotte  (whose  vehicle  was  an  omnibus  driven  by 
a  simple  two-cylinder  engine  supplied  with  steam  by  a  Field 
boiler),  were  driven  by  Daimler  motors,  Messrs.  Panhard  and 
Peugeot  dividing  the  first  prize  between  them. 

This  historic  meeting  of  Paris-Rouen  was  so  successful  and 
opened  so  wide  a  vista  of  possibilities  for  the  motor-carriage, 
that  it  was  decided  to  attempt  the  more  complete  organisation 
of  the  movement.  On  November  i8th,  1894,  several  influential 
Frenchmen  met  at  M.  de  Dion's  house  to  decide  on  the  next 
step  ;  and  it  was  then  resolved  that  there  should  be  a  great  road 
race  from  Paris  to  Bordeaux  and  back,  a  distance  of  730  miles. 
Some  of  the  names  of  those  who  attended  this  meeting  deserve 
always  to  be  remembered  in  connection  with  the  science  of  auto- 
mobilism.  Among  them  may  be  mentioned  the  Baron  de  Zuylen, 
the  Comte  de  Dion,  the  Marquis  de  Chasseloup-Laubat,  the 
Comte  de  Chasseloup-Laubat,  Messrs.  Peugeot,  Levassor,  Ser- 
pollet, Roger,  and  Emile  Gautier.  The  race  upon  which  they 
had  decided  imposed  an  extremely  severe  test,  as  it  was  required 
by  the  rules  that  the  journey  should  be  performed  in  one  trip, 
and  that  no  repairs  or  replacements  other  than  those  possible 
by  such  apparatus  as  could  be  carried  on  the  cars  themselves 
were  permitted ;  so  that  what  was  really  demanded  was  the 
construction  of  vehicles  which  could  travel  on  the  common 
roads  for  forty-eight  hours  continuously  at  a  high  rate  of 
speed.  This  severe  test  was  triumphantly  endured  by  about 
nine  cars,  which,  out  of  the  twenty-two  that  started,  arrived 
safely  back  in  Paris.  The  most  successful  performance  was 
that  of  M.  Levassor  on  a  Panhard  car,  who  accomplished 
the   journey  in    forty-eight  hours  forty-eight  minutes,  having 


THE   EVOLUTION   OF  THE   MOTOR-CAR  33 

only  stopped  for  eight  minutes  at  Bordeaux.  In  the  words 
of  the  Marquis  de  Chasseloup-Laubat :  "  He  did  not  appear 
to  be  over -fatigued  ;  he  wrote  his  signature  at  the  finish 
with  a  firm  hand  ;  we  lunched  together  at  the  '  Porte 
Maillot '  ;  he  was  quite  calm  ;  he  took  with  great  relish  a  cup 
of  bouillon,  a  couple  of  poached  eggs,  and  two  glasses  of 
champagne ;  but  he  said  that  racing  at  night  was  dangerous, 
adding  that  having  won  he  had  the  right  to  say  such  a  race  was 
not  to  be  run  another  time  at  night."  The  car  upon  which  this 
historic  feat  was  performed  was  built  specially  for  the  race  by 
Messrs.  Panhard  and  Levassor  ;  it  was  driven  by  a  4  h.p, 
Daimler  engine,  had  three  speeds,  the  highest  of  which  was 
iSh  miles  an  hour,  and  its  wheels  were  fitted  with  solid  rubber 
tyres.  Three  vehicles  built  by  Messrs.  Peugeot  came  in  very 
soon  after  M.  Levassor ;  and  after  them  came  two  Rogers  and 
two  more  Panhards.  Steam  was  successfully  represented  by 
a  large  omnibus  built  by  M.  Amedee  Bollee,  which  carried  eight 
persons  throughout  the  trip.  M.  Serpollet  had  entered  a  car, 
which,  however,  failed  to  complete  the  journey  without  a  serious 
breakdown — a  fate  which  was  shared  by  the  de  Dion  cars. 
This  contest  saw  the  first  appearance  of  pneumatic  tyres  in 
long-distance  automobile  races,  one  of  the  competing  (but 
unsuccessful)  cars  being  fitted  with  Michelin  tyres.  The  com- 
mittee which  had  organised  this  race  took  a  further  step  towards 
organisation  by  forming  itself  some  months  later  into  a  per- 
manent commission,  which  in  its  turn  gave  birth  to  that  famous 
body — the  Automobile  Club  of  France. 

The  contemplation  of  such  successes  in  France  could  not 
leave  public  spirit  in  England  entirely  apathetic.  In  the  sum- 
mer of  1895  Mr.  Evelyn  Ellis,  who  had  been  using  a  4  h.p. 
Panhard  car  in  France,  brought  it  over  to  England  ;  and  Sir 
David  Salomons  a  little  later  imported  a  Peugeot  car.  In  Octo- 
ber, 1895,  Sir  David  Salomons  invited  several  members  of 
Parliament  and  other  people  of  influence  and  importance  to  a 
little  demonstration  of  motor  vehicles  at  Tunbridge  Wells. 
This  (the  first  motor  show  in  England)  consisted  of  Mr.  Ellis's 
Panhard  car.  Sir  D.  Salomons's  Peugeot,  with  a  de  Dion  steam- 
car,  and  a  petrol  bicycle.  To  Sir  D.  Salomons  and  Mr.  Evelyn 
Ellis  belongs  therefore  the  chief  credit  for  the  introduction  of 
the  modern  motor-car  into  England.     They  both  worked  inde- 

D 


34  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

fatigably  to  convince  people  of  the  future  that  lay  before  this 
means  of  locomotion  and  in  agitating  for  the  removal  of  the 
ridiculous  laws  which  restricted  it.  Their  efforts  approached 
success  when  Mr.  Shaw  Lefevre,  as  President  of  the  Local 
Government  Board,  brought  in  a  Bill  to  amend  the  law ;  but  as 
a  change  of  Government  immediately  followed  the  matter  was 
dropped  until  the  next  year,  when  Mr.  Henry  Chaplin  brought 
forward  the  Light  Locomotives  Act.  On  November  14th,  1896, 
this  Act  became  law,  and  the  day  was  celebrated  by  a  run  from 
London  to  Brighton,  in  which  about  twenty  cars  took  part. 
The  foundation  of  the  Autocar  by  Mr.  Henry  Sturmey  a  year 
before  had  given  the  new  movement  its  place  in  the  English  Press; 
the  Daimler  Motor  Company  was  formed  in  February,  1896; 
a  year  later  they  had  made  and  sold  their  first  carriage,  and  the 
new  era  of  road  locomotion  had  dawned  in  England.  But 
many  valuable  years  had  been  lost,  and  British  engineers  began 
their  contest  in  the  motor-car  industry  with  heavy  handicaps. 

We  have  now  roughly  traced  the  development  of  the  idea  of 
automobilism  from  its  earliest  beginning  to  the  point  at  which 
it  has  now  arrived.  From  the  old  wheeled  chair  worked  by 
treadles,  or  from  the  clumsy  and  unpractical  steam  carriage  of 
Trevithick,  to  the  modern  40  h.p.  touring  car,  with  its  low  centre 
of  gravity,  its  long  wheel-base,  its  luxurious  seats  and  armchairs, 
its  light  pneumatic  tyres,  and  its  admirably  compact  and 
silent  engine,  is  a  great  advance  ;  nevertheless,  we  may  be  quite 
sure  that  the  motor-car  is  very  far  from  perfection  yet.  On  the 
day  when  a  cheap,  light,  and  compact  means  of  storing  a  great 
power  of  electricity  is  discovered  we  shall  see  the  last  of  the 
motor-car  as  we  know  it  at  present. 

But  that  day  may  yet  be  some  distance  off.  What  has  been 
accomplished  is  that  we  have  now  brought  the  science  of  auto- 
mobilism on  roads  up  to  the  point  at  which  it  exceeds  our 
necessities.  It  is  but  a  little  while  ago  that  no  machine  existed 
upon  which  we  could  travel  on  the  roads  as  fast  as  we  wished  to 
travel  ;  now  we  have  machines  which  can  travel  faster  than  is 
either  necessary,  or  desirable,  or  even  safe.  The  next  step  is  to 
bring  the  roads  into  such  a  condition  that  high  speed  can  be 
used  with  safety  to  the  travellers,  and  without  danger  or  annoy- 
ance for  those  who  still  use  the  roads  in  the  old  and  simple  and 
pleasant  way. 


CHAPTER   II 
INDUSTRY   AND   SPORT 

The  difficulties  of  the  beginner — The  inevitable  friend — Brass  and  paint — The 
modest  advertiser — The  Crystal  Palace  nightmare — Vicissitudes  of  a  young  in- 
dustry— An  old  woman  and  her  loaves — Popular  fads — Every  man  his  own  fool 
— The  Automobile  Club — Motor  racing — Police  and  the  law — The  International 
struggle. 

THE  amateur  who  proposes  to  buy  his  first  motor-car  finds 
himself  launched  into  a  stupefying  atmosphere  of  rivalry, 
bewilderment,  contradictory  opinion,  and  opposite  advice.  At 
first  the  task  which  he  has  set  himself  seems  a  simple  and 
pleasant  one.  He  has  a  friend,  perhaps,  who  owns  a  motor-car 
and  is  loud  in  its  praises  ;  why  should  he  not  get  one  of  the 
same  make?  But  the  friend  (who  is  perhaps  an  honest  man) 
begins  to  search  his  conscience  and  to  ask  himself  whether  or 
not  he  is  justified  in  recommending  his  own  car.  Since  he 
bought  it  a  dozen  other  makes  have  come  under  his  notice,  and 
with  that  restless  passion  for  variety  and  novelty  that  always 
marks  a  movement  still  in  the  stage  of  development,  his  loyalty 
to  his  own  type  or  make  of  car  is  already  on  the  wane.  So  he 
furnishes  the  inquirer  with  the  names  of  perhaps  half  a  dozen 
other  makes  which  at  least  are  worth  looking  into.  The 
inquirer  goes  in  turn  to  the  representatives  of  each  of  these  six 
cars,  each  of  whom  in  turn  convinces  him  that  perfection  has 
been  attained.  Perhaps  he  puts  one  of  the  six  cars  out  of  his 
selection  because  he  does  not  like  the  colour  it  is  painted  or  the 
shape  of  its  seats  ;  and  this,  not  improbably,  is  the  best  car  of 
the  number.  But  having  almost  decided  to  purchase  the  sixth 
(because  it  was  the  last  one  he  saw),  he  mentions  the  fact  to 
twelve  separate  acquaintances ;  who  thereupon  implore  him  to 
have  nothing  to  do  with  the  car  in  question  and  recommend 

35 


36  THE    COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

twelve  other  different  makes  of  vehicle.  Being  enthusiastic 
motorists  themselves  they  are  passionate  and  disinterested  in 
their  solicitations,  and,  almost  with  tears  in  their  eyes,  try  to 
dissuade  him  from  this  error  which  he  is  about  to  commit. 
And  this  is  the  only  point  upon  which  they  are  unanimous. 

Our  friend  now  perceives  that  the  matter  of  choice  is  not  a 
simple  one,  and  that  it  behoves  him  to  go  warily,  although  his 
heart  still  remembers  the  sixth  car  with  its  shining  brass  and 
claret-coloured  paint  and  its  pretty  device  for  keeping  the 
cushions  dry.  He  puts  this  weakness  away  from  him,  however, 
and  goes  home  armed  with  five  motoring  papers,  which  he 
spends  the  evening  in  studying.  He  finds  voluminous  adver- 
tisement pages  filled  with  what  seem  to  his  simple  soul  to  be 
untruths,  because  on  each  page  a  different  car  is  stated  to  be 
the  fastest  and  finest  that  has  ever  been  made.  Each  car  has 
apparently  won  medals  for  "  reliability  "  (the  word  is  the  curse 
of  automobile  literature) ;  each  is  sold  as  cheaply  as  the  maker 
(apparently  a  philanthropist)  can  manage  without  starving  his 
wife  and  family ;  and  each  maker  is  eloquent  of  caution  and 
warning  with  regard  to  other  cars. 

"  Do  not  be  deceived  by  external  appearance,"  says  the  first, 
who  perhaps  has  been  unhappy  in  his  attempts  at  graceful 
design.  "  Do  you  want  an  omnibus  ? "  says  the  second.  "If  so, 
do  not  come  to  us.  We  have  studied  design  and  grace  of 
appearance  from  the  first,  and  wherever  our  cars  go  they  are 
admired." 

"  The  fastest  car  at  the  price,"  says  the  third.  "  One  mile  in 
seventy  seconds.  These  figures  speak  for  themselves."  "  We  do 
not  build  a  racing  car,"  announces  the  fourth,  "and  our  aim  is  not 
to  shake  our  passengers  to  pieces.  THE  car  for  comfort."  The 
fifth  says,  "  Deeds  speak  louder  than  words.  See  our  list  of 
awards  and  prizes."  "  We  do  not  believe  in  beating  records  and 
taking  medals,"  says  a  sixth  ;  "  we  know  too  much  about  how  it 
is  done.      But  ALL  OUR  CUSTOMERS  ARE  SATISFIED." 

"  Originality  is  our  motto,"  says  the  seventh ;  "  there  is  not  a 
part  of  our  car  which  has  not  been  specially  designed.  Our 
machines  are  protected  by  twenty-seven  of  our  own  patents." 
And  "Our  car  is  not  a  freak,"  says  the  eighth;  "we  determined 
our  lines  five  years  ago,  and  have  seen  no  cause  to  alter  them. 
Ask  our  customers."     And  so  on. 


INDUSTRY   AND   SPORT  87 

Our  inquirer,  not  a  little  bewildered,  turns  to  the  correspond- 
ence pages,  where  he  finds  fourteen  several  correspondents, 
owning  fourteen  several  makes  of  cars,  asking  for  advice  as  to 
how  they  can  avoid  fourteen  different  kinds  of  breakdown  from 
which  they  have  each  severally  suffered.  And  in  the  private 
advertisements  at  the  end  of  the  paper  he  finds  at  least  one 
representative,  and  sometimes  a  dozen,  of  every  single  make  of 
car  which  he  has  seen  or  heard  belauded  advertised  for  sale  by 
private  contract  at  a  ruinous  sacrifice. 

A  sadly  sobered  person  compared  with  him  who  lightheart- 
edly  made  his  first  request  for  advice  as  to  the  purchase  of  a 
motor-car,  our  friend  now  pursues  his  way  less  hopefully.  Every 
new  acquaintance  to  whom  he  speaks  adds  to  his  embarrass- 
ment by  naming  new  makes  of  car  that  he  had  never  heard  of 
before,  until  the  area  of  choice  expands  alarmingly.  Hopeless 
at  last  of  being  advised,  he  resolves  to  choose  for  himself,  and 
attends  an  automobile  show  for  that  purpose.  There  his  last 
remnant  of  sanity  leaves  him.  Up  and  down  the  long  gangways 
he  walks  with  jaded  steps  and  a  splitting  headache,  Bleriot 
lamps  goggling  at  him  from  a  dozen  directions,  while  keen-faced 
young  men  in  square-cut  morning-coats  and  very  shiny  hats 
convince  him  individually  and  in  turn  that  each  of  them  is 
selling  the  one  and  only  car.  Does  he  think  they  would  be  on 
that  particular  stand,  they  ask  the  inquirer  derisively,  if  they 
were  not  convinced  that  they  were  selling  a  sound  article?  And 
they  talk  gears  and  clutches,  ignition  and  lubrication,  valves 
and  frames  to  him  until  his  ears  buzz  and  his  head  throbs.  He 
makes  some  faint  attempt  to  grasp  the  individual  characteristics 
of  perhaps  thirty  different  cars,  and  fails  completely.  Finally, 
perhaps,  when  he  is  thoroughly  stupefied  and  exhausted,  he  is 
pounced  upon  by  the  dapper  exponent  of  a  dainty  and  glitter- 
ing car,  beside  which  is  exhibited  a  chassis  of  marvellous 
ingenuity.  The  dapper  exponent  holds  him  there  with  his 
glittering  eye  ;  the  wanderer  cannot  choose  but  hear.  He 
listens,  becomes  interested,  becomes  convinced,  and  leaves  the 
show  having  placed  an  order  for  a  car  only  one  model  of  which 
has  ever  been  made,  which  has  never  been  run,  and  perhaps 
could  not  run,  and  the  clever  and  sanguine  inventor  of  which, 
having  risked  all  his  little  capital  in  his  venture,  becomes  bank- 
rupt a  fortnight  afterwards. 


38  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

This,  of  course,  is  an  extreme  case,  but  it  is  not  an  unfair 
illustration  of  some  of  the  difficulties  and  bewilderments  that 
surround  the  sport  and  business  of  automobilism.  The  truth 
is  that  there  has  been  and  is  an  enormous  amount  of  capital 
sunk  in  the  motor-car  industry  in  this  country — a  good  half  of 
it  never  to  be  recovered.  And  it  is  a  curious  fact  that  in 
England,  the  most  conservative  country  in  the  world,  capital 
can  always  be  obtained  for  the  exploiting  of  some  new  in- 
vention in  a  young  industry  such  as  that  of  automobilism,  no 
matter  how  wild  or  impossible  or  unpractical  the  invention  may 
be.  Ideas  that  would  be  laughed  at  in  France  or  America  or 
Germany  get  a  solemn  trial  in  this  country,  with  directors  and 
registered  offices  complete.  Probably  it  pays  in  the  long  run, 
but  in  the  meantime  it  sorely  embarrasses  the  trade  as  a  whole. 
In  the  automobile  industry  there  are  dozens  of  firms  under- 
taking to  make  cars  who  cannot  by  any  possibility  sell  them 
at  a  profit.  One  of  the  conditions  of  success  in  this  industry 
is  that  the  manufacturer  must  be  able  to  turn  out,  not  two  or 
three,  but  twenty  or  thirty  cars  a  month  ;  yet  I  think  I  am  not 
wrong  in  saying  that  there  are  firms  engaged  in  the  automobile 
industry  who  could  not  turn  out  one  car  a  month.  Some  of 
them,  indeed,  work  on  principles  so  bad  that  they  suffer  a  loss 
on  every  car,  and  yet  strain  their  powers  to  the  utmost  to  sell 
as  many  as  possible,  as  if  by  that  means  prosperity  would  be 
assured.  One  is  reminded  of  the  old  woman  whose  loaves  cost 
her  twopence  each  to  make,  and  who  sold  them  at  a  penny 
three-farthings,  saying,  "It  is  only  because  I  sell  such  an 
enormous  number  that  I  am  able  to  live  at  all,"  Yet  these 
firms,  who  contribute  nothing  to  their  own  prosperity  or  that 
of  the  industry,  embarrass  the  private  purchaser  by  their  ad- 
vertisements, and  add  to  the  already  enormous  list  of  cars 
offered  for  his  choice. 

Such  a  state  of  affairs  cannot  last,  but  there  will  be  much 
loss  of  money  and  many  bankruptcies  before  it  is  over.  In  the 
meantime  a  further  difficulty  is  presented  by  the  fact  that  while 
a  motor-car  is  a  highly  complicated  machine,  demanding  con- 
siderable technical  knowledge  on  the  part  of  anyone  attempting 
to  appraise  or  criticise  it,  it  is  sold  to  persons  with  no  technical 
knowledge  whatever,  and  yet  who  not  unnaturally  wish  to 
exercise  their  choice  in  the  purchase  of  it.     One  result  of  this 


INDUSTRY   AND   SPORT  39 

is  that  certain  fads  in  connection  with  motor-cars  come  for  a 
time  into  such  prominence  that  every  motorist  demands  that 
his  car  shall  be  furnished  with  the  particular  thing  which  is 
most  fashionable  at  the  moment,  although  he  may  be  quite 
incapable  of  judging  how  far  its  popularity  is  justified.  Among 
such  matters  I  may  mention  honeycomb  radiators  and  the 
direct  drive  on  the  top  speed.  Another  example  is  to  be  found 
in  the  method  of  cooling  engines  by  water  instead  of  air. 
Messrs.  Lanchester,  who,  almost  alone  among  the  principal 
makers  of  motor-cars,  retained  air-cooling  on  their  engines, 
retained  it  because  they  believed  it  to  be  simpler  than  and  just 
as  efficient  as  water  cooling.  They  found,  however,  that  they 
were  losing  business  because  of  the  almost  universal  demand 
for  a  water-cooled  engine,  and  they  are  therefore  now  fitting 
water-cooled  engines,  not  because  they  think  them  necessary, 
but  because  their  customers,  who  have  certainly  given  the 
subject  much  less  study  than  the  makers  themselves  have  given 
to  it,  think  them  necessary.  I  do  not  say  anything  about  the 
merits  of  these  popular  tastes ;  the  public  may  be  right  and 
it  may  be  wrong ;  but  it  is  unfortunate  that  engineers  who  are 
working  at  an  industry  which  has  not  reached  its  full  stage  of 
development  should  be  compelled  to  adapt  their  practice  to 
popular  and  uninstructed  requirements.  It  is,  of  course,  absurd 
that  an  amateur  who  wishes  to  spend  ;^500  on  a  piece  of  com- 
plicated machinery,  of  which  there  are  dozens  of  types,  the 
different  qualities  of  which  he  is  incapable  of  estimating,  should 
make  his  purchase  without  expert  advice.  But  every  man  claims 
the  right  to  be  his  own  fool ;  and  in  the  matter  of  motor-cars 
he  has  this  much  on  his  side,  that  there  is  not  as  yet  a  sufficient 
number  of  disinterested  experts  whose  services  are  available  for 
this  purpose.  The  honesty  and  disinterestedness  of  the  expert 
must,  of  course,  be  beyond  question,  and  this  is  impossible  so 
long  as  he  receives,  or  is  suspected  of  receiving,  a  commission 
from  the  makers  of  the  cars  which  he  sells.  I  believe  there  are 
one  or  two  experts  who  refuse  to  receive  any  commission  from 
manufacturers  or  agents,  and  who  are  thus  wholly  in  the  service 
of  the  purchaser ;  but  there  will  have  to  be  many  more  of  such 
men,  and  they  will  have  to  be  much  better  known  than  they 
are  at  present,  before  either  they  will  be  able  to  make  a  suffi- 
cient income  from   their  consultation  fees,  or  the  public  will 


40  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

begin  to  feel  the  benefit  of  their  services.  But  that  such  services 
would  be  of  infinite  benefit  both  to  the  trade  and  to  the  public 
is  beyond  doubt. 

There  can  be  no  question  as  to  the  value  of  the  services 
rendered  to  the  motor  industry,  as  well  as  to  the  pastime,  by 
the  Automobile  Club.  It  has  had  an  extremely  difficult  task 
in  reconciling  the  interests  of  the  trade  and  of  private  users, 
and,  on  the  whole,  it  has  performed  it  admirably.  The  recent 
attempt  to  put  the  Automobile  Club  more  on  a  footing  with 
the  Turf  Club  by  removing  from  its  committee  all  members 
interested  in  the  automobile  trade  deserved,  I  think,  to  be 
unsuccessful.  Automobilism  is  not,  and  never  will  be,  com- 
parable with  horse-racing,  even  in  the  conditions  which  govern 
it  as  a  sport.  The  industrial  issues  involved  in  it  are  too  great, 
and  its  practical  bearing  upon  everyday  life  too  important,  for 
it  to  be  governed  by  a  group  of  men  whose  chief  interest  in 
it  is  that  of  sportsmen.  My  own  opinion  is  that  the  sporting 
side  of  automobilism  can  very  easily  be  abused,  and  is  at 
this  moment  being  seriously  abused.  Moreover  it  seems  to 
be  well-nigh  impossible  for  a  man  who  has  no  commercial 
interest  at  stake,  who  does  not,  in  fact,  represent  capital  in- 
vested in  the  motor  industry,  to  have  any  chance  in  any  of  the 
principal  road  races.  Even  if  he  buys  his  own  car  and  drives 
it  he  is  severely  handicapped  by  the  absence  of  the  elaborate 
and  costly  organisation  for  repairing  and  refilling  in  the  controls 
which  is  provided  by  the  manufacturers  who  put  up  their  own 
cars  in  a  race.  From  the  spectator's  point  of  view  a  motor-car 
road  race  is  extremely  interesting,  and,  at  times,  even  exciting, 
but  it  is  possible  that  in  some  cases  the  principal  sensation  ex- 
perienced is  the  thoroughly  unwholesome  expectation — seldom 
fulfilled — of  a  ghastly  accident.  If  the  motor-car  industry  were 
not  so  much  in  need  of  development  in  a  very  different  direction 
from  that  which  is  assisted  by  the  manufacture  of  racing  cars, 
there  would  be  little  to  be  said  against  their  use  ;  but  the  money 
that  is  lavished  on  these  contests  would  be  much  more  profitably 
devoted  to  experiment  in  connection  with  what  is  about  to 
become  the  crucial  problem  of  the  motor  industry — the  manu- 
facture of  a  really  cheap  and  efficient  light  car.  It  is  not  that 
motor-car  racing  is  not  a  very  excellent  and  entertaining  sport ; 
1  think  it  is,  for  these  contests  are  not  merely  trials  of  courage 


INDUSTRY   AND   SPORT  41 

and  luck,  but  are  trials  also  of  brain,  judgment,  and  endurance, 
as  well  as  trials  and  tests  of  machinery,  material,  and  design. 

The  law  with  regard  to  motoring,  although — thanks  to  the 
strenuous  efforts  of  the  Parliamentary  automobilists — it  has 
been  recently  amended,  still  acts  as  a  hindrance,  an  injustice, 
and  a  persecution  to  motorists.  True,  the  state  of  affairs  is 
largely  due  to  the  selfishness  and  vulgarity  of  some  among  their 
own  number ;  but  that  is  little  consolation  to  the  decent  and 
respectable.  I  am  inclined  to  think,  however,  that  it  is  not 
so  much  the  law  that  is  at  fault  as  the  spirit  in  which  it  is 
applied.  In  too  many  cases  this  is  a  punitive  and  spiteful  spirit. 
The  object  of  the  law,  with  which  we  are  all  in  sympathy,  is 
the  protection  of  the  public.  Yet  how  do  the  police  as  a  body 
act  in  applying  it  ?  Do  they  use  every  effort  to  discourage 
excessive  speed  on  the  part  of  the  individual  motorist  ?  On  the 
contrary,  they  use  every  subterfuge  to  tempt  and  entrap  him 
into  excessive  speed.  Their  object  is  not  to  prevent  him  from 
breaking  the  law,  but  to  induce  him  to  do  so  ;  hence  their  traps 
on  empty  and  tempting  stretches  of  road,  where  speed  is  not 
dangerous  at  all.  If  the  police  were  seen  about  the  roads,  no 
motorist  would  dare  to  drive  at  an  excessive  speed  ;  but  when 
they  hide  behind  hedges,  they  are  acting  merely  as  spies  and 
not  as  constables  of  the  public  safety.  This  "hedging  and 
ditching"  policy,  apart  from  its  injustice,  is  a  discredit  to,  and 
a  blot  upon,  the  traditions  of  the  English  police. 

There  remains  the  vexed  question  as  to  how  far  the  English 
automobile  industry  has  come  up  to  its  French  and  German 
rivals.  One  would  like  to  be  able  to  say  that  in  every  respect 
the  English  trade  can  compete  successfully  with  the  foreign 
trade  ;  but  anyone  who  is  at  all  informed  upon  these  matters 
knows  that  it  has  not  yet  quite  reached  that  point.  We  can 
and  do  make  in  England  many  motor-cars  which  for  all  practical 
purposes  are  as  good  as  anything  that  can  be  bought  elsewhere  ; 
but  it  is  not  true  that  we  can  make  any  and  every  part  of  a 
motor-car  better  and  cheaper  than  it  can  be  made  abroad.  But 
we  have  crept  up  very  fast  on  our  rivals,  and  I  make  no  doubt 
that  in  a  few  years  we  shall  have  passed  them,  when  we  have 
had  enough  experience  to  wipe  out  the  advantage  which  they 
gained  by  several  years'  start  of  us.  The  Mercedes  and  the 
Panhard  cars  still  remain  the  ideal  cars  of  the  man  to  whom 


42  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

money  is  no  object.  They  represent  in  that  sense  of  the  word 
the  best  that  has  yet  been  both  achieved  and  proved  in  the 
building  of  motor-cars.  Yet  there  are  cars  in  England  to-day 
fully  their  equals  in  excellence  of  design  to  which  time — that 
alone  can  make  a  just  award  in  these  matters — may  transfer 
the  crown  which  as  yet  adorns  alien  brows.  The  truest 
patriotism  in  these  matters  is  to  design  and  build  a  car  in 
England  of  the  best  materials,  wherever  they  may  come  from, 
and  to  equip  it  with  the  best  inventions,  in  whatever  nationality 
they  may  have  been  born.  By  that  means  alone  are  we  able  to 
know  what  the  best  is  and  in  time  to  surpass  it. 


CHAPTER   III 
THE   PETROL   MOTOR   AND    ITS   CONNECTIONS 

The  first  step — The  Otto  system — Carburettors — The  fly  in  petrol — Valve  gear — 
Ignition — The  Magneto  system — Silence  and  power — Air  and  water  cooling 
— Transmission  and  control — Increased  elasticity  of  the  petrol  engine — Fashions 
in  design — British  ingenuity — The  clutch  and  its  work — Gears  and  gearing — 
Change-speed  mechanism — The  differential  gear — The  Crypto  gear — The  petrol 
electric  system — Brakes  and  steering. 

THE  first  step  towards  the  understanding  of  a  petrol  motor- 
car by  the  amateur  is  the  understanding  of  the  petrol 
engine.  Though  it  forms  only  one  part,  it  is  the  most  vital  and 
intricate  part  of  the  machine  ;  and  whether  the  amateur  drives 
his  own  car  or  not,  it  is  of  the  first  importance  that  he  should 
understand  its  mechanism.  For  one  thing,  it  is  a  stupid  and 
uninteresting  thing  to  be  driven  about  in  a  vehicle  without 
knowing  how  it  is  propelled  ;  and  for  another,  a  knowledge 
of  the  mechanism  of  the  motor-car  will  save  its  owner  much 
money. 

The  type  of  petrol  engine  used  on  modern  motor-cars 
consists  in  its  simplest  form  of  a  single  cylinder  closed  at 
the  top  and  open  at  the  bottom,  within  which  a  closely  fitting 
piston  connected  by  a  swinging  rod  to  the  crank  shaft  moves 
up  and  down.  The  motive  power  is  derived  from  a  mixture 
of  air  with  the  vapour  given  off  by  petroleum  spirit.  This 
mixture  is  introduced  into  the  cylinder  itself,  and  when  the 
piston  is  at  the  top  of  the  cylinder,  forms  a  cushion  of  gas 
between  the  fixed  cylinder-top  and  the  movable  piston.  The 
gas  is  then  ignited,  and  by  the  heat  thus  instantaneously 
generated  is  enormously  expanded,  forming,  in  fact,  an  ex- 
plosion. As  the  piston  is  the  only  thing  that  can  give  way, 
it  is  by  this  explosive  force  driven  to  the  bottom  of  the  cylinder, 

43 


44  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

where  its  further  downward  movement  is  arrested  by  the  crank. 
As  the  piston  must  be  gas-tight,  it  is  first  made  a  free  sliding 
fit  in  the  cyHnder ;  three  or  four  parallel  grooves  are  then 
cut  in  its  circumference,  and  into  these  grooves  are  sprung 
cast-iron  rings,  the  circumference  of  which  is  slightly  larger  than 
that  of  the  cylinder  and  very  slightly  eccentric  to  it.  The 
impulse  of  the  explosive  stroke  is  stored  in  a  fly-wheel  attached 
to  the  crank  shaft,  which  is  carried  round  again  and  drives  the 
piston  up.  These  are  the  broad  movements,  a  repetition  of 
which  maintains  mechanical  energy. 

In  the  Otto  cycle,  however,  which  is  employed  in  all  motor- 
car engines,  there  is  only  one  explosion  to  four  strokes  of  the 
engine.  These  are  termed  respectively  the  Suction  stroke,  the 
Compression  stroke,  the  Explosion  stroke,  and  the  Exhaust 
stroke.  To  describe  them  properly  in  detail  we  must  suppose 
the  engine  to  be  running. 

(i)  The  Suction  Stroke. — The  piston  is  at  the  top  of  its 
stroke,  and  the  combustion  chamber  (as  the  space  between  the 
top  of  the  cylinder  and  the  piston  is  called)  is  empty  of  gas. 
As  the  fly-wheel  revolves  it  begins  to  pull  the  piston  down,  and 
a  partial  vacuum  is  thus  created  in  the  combustion  chamber. 
This  chamber  has  two  valves  opening  into  it — the  INLET  valve 
and  the  EXHAUST  valve.  As  the  piston  travels  down  the 
suction  caused  by  it  opens  the  Inlet  valve,  and  the  combustible 
mixture  rushes  in  and  fills  the  cylinder.  The  Inlet  valve  may 
be  opened  either  by  the  suction  of  the  piston  or  by  mechanism, 
but  in  either  case  the  effect  is  the  same.  So  that  the  Suction 
stroke  brings  the  piston  to  the  bottom  of  the  cylinder,  which  is 
at  the  same  time  filled  with  gas. 

(2)  The  Compression  Stroke. — The  piston  being  at  the 
bottom  of  its  stroke  and  the  cylinder  filled  with  gas,  the  travel 
of  the  fly-wheel  carrying  the  crank  round  begins  to  thrust  the 
piston  up  again.  The  moment  it  begins  to  do  so  the  Inlet 
valve  closes,  so  that  the  gas  is  imprisoned  in  the  cylinder.  The 
piston  fits  the  cylinder  tightly,  this  fit  being  maintained  by  the 
piston  rings  already  described,  which  are  prevented  from  sliding 
round  on  the  piston  by  means  of  pins  fixed  in  the  grooves 
between  the  open  ends  of  each  ring.  As  the  piston  rises  it 
compresses  the  gas,  which  has  no  means  of  escape,  and  by  the 
time  it  has  reached  the  top  the  combustion  chamber  is  filled 


HK  OITO  SYSTEM  OF  INTERNAL  COMBUSTION  ENGINES 


THE  PETROL  MOTOR  AND  ITS  CONNECTIONS     45 

with  inflammable  mixture  in  a  high  state  of  compression — a 
state  which  is  necessary  if  the  proper  explosive  force  is  to  be 
derived. from  ignition. 

(3)  The  Explosive  Stroke, — When  the  piston  is  at  the  top  of 
its  stroke  the  mixture  is  ignited  by  electricity  or  some  other 
means,  and  its  expansion  or  explosion  drives  down  the  piston 
with  great  force,  which,  being  stored  in  the  fly-wheel,  thus 
furnishes  energy  enough  for  the  three  strokes  in  which  there  is 
no  impulse,  as  well  as  for  the  purpose  of  driving  the  car.  The 
piston  is  now  once  more  at  the  bottom  of  its  stroke. 

(4)  The  Exhaust  Stroke, — As  the  fly-wheel,  refreshed  by  the 
impulse  imparted  to  it  by  the  Explosion  stroke,  thrusts  the 
piston  up  again,  the  Exhaust  valve  is  opened  by  a  mechanical 
arrangement  of  cams  and  rods,  and  this  allows  the  burnt  gas  to 
be  driven  by  the  ascending  piston  out  of  the  cylinder.  As  the 
piston  reaches  the  top  of  the  stroke  the  Exhaust  valve  is  closed, 
and  the  cycle  of  operations  begins  again  with  the  suction  stroke. 
The  accompanying  illustrations  show  the  complete  cycle,  from 
which  it  will  be  seen  that  the  fly-wheel  (or  crank  shaft)  makes 
half  a  revolution  for  each  stroke  of  the  piston,  and  it  therefore 
makes  two  complete  revolutions  for  every  explosion. 

This,  then,  is  the  actual  working  of  the  petrol  motor,  which 
should  be  easily  understood  from  a  careful  study  of  the  accom- 
panying plates,  for  the  use  of  which  I  am  indebted  to  the 
Autocar.  In  practice,  however,  it  is  a  far  less  simple  affair  than 
would  appear  from  my  description,  and  consists  of  many  more 
parts  than  have  been  so  far  named.  It  is  now  comparatively 
unusual  to  build  motor-cars  with  a  single-cylinder  engine ;  two 
or  four  are  the  commonest  numbers,  and  engines  with  three, 
six,  and  eight  cylinders  are  also  built ;  and  although  in  each 
cylinder  the  same  process  is  going  on,  an  increase  in  the 
number  of  cylinders  involves  considerable  complications,  as  the 
Inlet  and  Outlet  valves,  and  the  mechanism  for  working  them, 
are  increased  in  proportion,  I  will  now  describe  some  of  the 
principal  accessory  parts  of  the  petrol  motor. 

The  first  of  these  is  the  CARBURETTOR,  as  the  chamber  in 
which  the  petrol  is  vaporised  and  mixed  with  air  is  called.  The 
chief  advantage  derived  from  the  use  of  petrol  or  petroleum 
spirit  as  an  explosive  agent  is  the  readiness  with  which  it  vapor- 
ises.    Petrol  exposed  to  the  air  at  any  time  will  give  off  an 


46  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

inflammable  vapour,  so  that  a  comparatively  simple  apparatus 
is  necessary  to  ensure  a  sufficient  supply  of  this  vapour  to  the 
engine.  In  its  most  elementary  form  the  Carburettor  consists 
of  a  box  or  chamber  partly  filled  with  petroleum  spirit.  In  the 
top  of  this  chamber  a  tap  is  fixed,  which  controls  the  supply  of 
vapour  to  the  engine.  There  is  also  an  inlet  for  air,  which 
ensures  a  sufficient  admixture  with  the  spirit,  and  this  also  is 
controlled  by  a  tap.  There  are  two  broad  types  of  Carburettor 
in  general  use,  and  although  almost  every  maker  has  modifica- 
tions of  his  own,  nearly  all  Carburettors  fall  into  one  of  these 
two  classes  :  Surface  Carburettors  or  Spray  Carburettors ;  but 
the  surface  type  is  gradually  disappearing.  It  is  most  simply 
understood  in  the  original  de  Dion  form,  which  was  designed 
for  use  on  motor-cycles.  Here  a  rectangular  metal  chamber 
was  kept  about  half  full  of  petrol ;  a  vertical  pipe  passing 
through  the  wall  of  the  chamber  admitted  air  to  the  petrol 
itself,  the  lower  end  of  the  pipe  being  submerged  under  the 
liquid  for  that  purpose.  Over  the  surface  of  the  liquid,  but  not 
quite  reaching  to  the  sides  of  the  chamber,  a  metal  plate  was 
fixed  so  that  the  vapour  rising  from  the  surface  of  the  petrol 
was  directed  towards  the  top  and  sides  of  the  chamber.  The 
plate  also  prevented  the  petrol  from  splashing  up  into  the  tap, 
so  that  at  the  top  of  the  chamber,  which  answered  the  purpose 
of  the  steam  dome  of  a  locomotive  engine,  there  was  always  a 
supply  of  vapour.  Outside  the  chamber  was  fixed  a  twin  valve 
with  two  openings,  one  communicating  with  the  atmosphere, 
and  another  with  the  pipe  which  supplied  the  engine ;  so  that 
the  quality  as  well  as  the  quantity  of  the  mixture  was  thus 
regulated.  A  pipe  led  from  the  exhaust  of  the  engine  through 
the  Carburettor ;  and  this,  by  warming  the  petrol  (the  exhaust 
gases  being  extremely  hot),  rendered  its  vaporisation  more  rapid. 
This  form  of  Carburettor  was  found  to  work  well  with  little 
engines  using  a  comparatively  small  amount  of  vapour  and 
working  at  a  constant  speed.  Its  disadvantage  is  that  when 
the  engine  is  run  at  a  high  speed  the  air  is  drawn  so  rapidly 
through  the  Carburettor  that  it  has  not  time  to  become  suffi- 
ciently impregnated  with  the  vapour  from  the  spirit.  There  is, 
moreover,  a  certain  waste  in  the  petrol  itself,  owing  to  the  fact 
that  it  becomes  gradually  impoverished  until  what  remains  in 
the  Carburettor  becomes  too  weak  to  furnish  sufficient  vapour. 


THE  PETROL  MOTOR  AND  ITS  CONNECTIONS     47 


Another  form  of  Carburettor,  therefore,  had  to  be  devised 
which  should  be  more  constant  and  regular  in  its  working,  and 
which  should  provide  for  an  economical  use  of  all  the  com- 
bustible constituents  of  the  petrol.  These  results  are  achieved 
more  or  less  absolutely  in  the  various  forms  of  the  apparatus 
known  as  the  Spray  Carburettor,  the  use  of  which  is  becoming 


A — Float  Feed  Chamber. 

B — Carburettor  Body. 

C — Sliding  Tapered  Plug. 

D— Petrol  Nipple. 

E — Floating  Chamber. 

F— Throttle  Valve. 

G — Drain  Plug  beneath  Spray 

Nipple. 
H — Taper    Holes    in    Floating 

Chamber. 
I — Guide  Rod. 


GAS  OUTLET 


AIR  INLET, 


THE   ROVER   CARBURETTOR 


universal.  This  consists  of  two  separate  chambers,  in  one  of 
which  the  liquid  is  maintained  at  a  constant  level  by  the  use  of 
a  float  controlling  the  supply  valve,  while  in  the  other  the  actual 
vaporising  and  mixing  with  air  takes  place.  The  petrol  enters 
the  vaporising  chamber  through  a  pipe  with  a  very  fine  nozzle, 
which  either  sprays  the  liquid  on  to  a  cone  and  thus  breaks  it 
up  into  vapour,  or  it  is  led  through  a  very  fine  rose.   The  second 


48  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

chamber  is  thus  filled  with  a  fine  mist  or  spray ;  and  the  neces- 
sary amount  of  air  is  drawn  in  with  it  to  ensure  a  proper 
mixture.  The  action  of  these  Carburettors  takes  place  at  each 
suction  stroke  of  the  engine,  when  the  vacuum  caused  in  the 
combustion  chamber  makes  the  petrol  spurt  out  through  the 
nozzle  into  the  mixing  chamber,  whence  it  is  drawn  into  the 
cylinder.  In  the  Longuemare  Carburettor  the  vaporising 
chamber  is  warmed  by  being  surrounded  with  a  jacket,  into 
which  the  hot  gases  from  the  exhaust  are  introduced. 

As  I  have  said,  there  are  a  great  many  varieties  of  Carburettor, 
but  they  vary  only  in  small  details  with  which  the  amateur  need 
not  concern  himself.  In  the  Lanchester,  for  example,  the  petrol 
is  drawn  from  the  tank  by  the  capillary  attraction  of  wicks, 
which  give  it  off  in  the  form  of  vapour.  But  in  principle  nearly 
all  Carburettors  are  constructed  on  one  or  other  of  the  plans 
described.  Almost  the  only  disadvantage  of  the  spray  type  of 
Carburettor  is  that  unless  the  petrol  is  very  carefully  filtered  the 
jet  or  nozzle  is  apt  to  become  choked,  when  of  course  no  vapour 
can  reach  the  engine.  Thus  a  fly  or  a  grain  of  dirt  in  a  Car- 
burettor would  be  enough  to  stop  a  90  h.p.  motor-car,  and 
unless  the  motorist  is  very  wide-awake  it  may  take  him  a  long 
time  to  find  the  cause.  There  is  a  possibility  also  of  the  float 
which  controls  the  supply  becoming  stuck  to  the  sides  of  the 
chamber ;  but  the  drawbacks  of  this  are  avoided  by  a  common 
arrangement  whereby  the  stem  of  the  supply  valve  is  continued 
through  the  float  and  out  beyond  the  wall  of  the  chamber,  where 
a  touch  of  the  fingers  before  starting  up  the  engine  will  ensure 
its  being  in  proper  working  order.  The  prime  necessity  of  a  Car- 
burettor is  that  it  should  be  perfectly  automatic  in  its  working. 
It  is,  in  fact,  the  most  vital  and  delicate  part  of  the  petrol  motor, 
and  its  absolute  sensitiveness  to  the  conditions  existing  within 
the  cylinder  or  cylinders  of  the  engine  is  a  sine  qua  non  for  the 
sure  and  silent  and  economic  working  of  the  machine.  The 
faster  an  engine  works,  the  more  air  is  needed  in  the  mixture ; 
and  it  is  to  the  invention  of  a  mechanism  which  will  be  perfectly 
automatic  in  regulating  the  quality  of  this  mixture  in  accord- 
ance with  the  speed  of  the  engine  that  the  principal  efforts  of 
designers  have  latterly  been  directed  in  the  construction  of  Car- 
burettors. No  small  part  of  the  silent  and  perfect  running  of  a 
Mercedes  engine,  even  at  a  very  low  speed,  is  due  to  the  form 


THE  PETROL  MOTOR  AND  ITS  CONNECTIONS  49 

of  Carburettor  employed.  In  the  detailed  accounts  of  special 
motor-cars  some  of  the  different  forms  of  Carburettor  will  be 
more  particularly  described  ;  in  particular,  that  used  on  the 
Crossley  car,  which  is  one  of  the  latest,  will  be  found  specially 
interesting.  The  broad  description  which  I  have  just  given 
will,  I  hope,  be  enough  to  enable  the  reader  to  understand  the 
more  full  and  technical  details  which  accompany  the  illustra- 
tions of  the  Carburettors  on  some  modern  motor-cars. 

We  will  now  consider  the  two  valves  which  govern  the  ad- 
mission of  gas  to  the  cylinder  and  the  expulsion  of  burnt  vapour 
from  it,  called  the  iNLET  valve  and  the  EXHAUST  valve  respec- 
tively. The  Inlet  valve  was  until  quite  recently  almost  uni- 
versally opened  merely  by  the  suction  of  the  descending  piston, 
and  thrust  back  to  its  seat  by  a  spring.  But  as  the  work  in 
petrol  engines  became  finer  and  the  adjustment  more  exact,  it 
was  found  that  the  opening  of  the  Inlet  valve  by  these  means 
was  not  sufficiently  accurate,  either  as  regards  the  extent  to 
which  it  was  opened  or  the  time  during  which  it  remained  open. 
Mechanism  was  therefore  devised  for  opening  it  at  a  given 
moment  in  the  stroke  of  the  piston  ;  and  these  mechanically 
operated  Inlet  valves,  although  they  were  for  a  time  regarded  as 
novelties,  are  now  used  in  nearly  all  but  the  very  smallest  and 
simplest  engines,  and  in  some  types  of  racing  car,  such  as  the 
Napier,  where  multiple-seated  automatic  valves  are  used. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  only  one  explosion  takes  place  for 
two  revolutions  of  the  fly-wheel,  which  is  attached  to  the  main 
crank  shaft.  For  the  purpose  of  operating  the  Inlet  and  Ex- 
haust valves,  therefore,  a  second  shaft,  called  the  half-time  shaft, 
is  connected  by  gear  wheels  to  the  main  crank  shaft,  the  gearing 
being  so  proportioned  that  it  revolves  only  once  while  the  main 
shaft  revolves  twice.  Both  valves  consist  of  a  disc  with  a 
bevelled  surface  fitting  into  a  circular  opening  which  leads  into 
the  combustion  chamber.  Through  this  disc  a  stem  projects 
downwards  and  rests  on  the  top  of  a  rod  placed  in  such  a  posi- 
tion that  the  lower  end  of  it  is  thrust  up  by  the  projecting  part 
of  a  cam  fixed  on  the  half-time  shaft  and  falls  down  again  every 
time  the  half-time  shaft  revolves.  Every  time  this  rod  is  thrust^ 
up  by  the  cam  it  pushes  up  the  valve  and  holds  it  open  until 
the  projection  of  the  cam,  passing  from  under  it,  allows  it  to 
drop  again,  when  the  valve  seats  itself  by  means  of  a  powerful 

E 


50  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

spring.  With  every  revolution  of  the  half-time  shaft  this  opera- 
tion is  repeated,  so  that  the  Inlet  and  Exhaust  valves  are 
opened  and  closed  once  for  every  two  revolutions  of  the  fly- 
wheel. The  two  valves  are  similar  in  construction,  but  the  cams 
which  work  them  are  set  in  opposite  positions  on  the  half-time 
shaft,  so  that  the  Inlet  valve  is  open  only  during  the  induction 
stroke  of  the  engine,  and  the  Exhaust  valve  only  during  the 
Exhaust  stroke.  As  a  matter  of  practice  the  cam  of  the  Ex- 
haust valve  is  so  set  as  to  open  the  valve  just  before  the 
beginning  of  the  Exhaust  stroke,  so  that  the  back-pressure  that 
would  otherwise  be  caused  by  a  cylinder  full  of  gas  is  avoided. 

The  arrangements  for  firing  the  charge  of  compressed  gas 
may  be  grouped  under  the  head  of  IGNITION.  It  was  formerly 
the  practice  to  ignite  the  charge  by  means  of  a  platinum  tube 
pierced  through  the  wall  of  the  cylinder,  its  outer  end  being  set 
in  the  flame  of  a  spirit  lamp,  so  that  as  the  piston  rose  in  the 
compression  stroke,  the  inflammable  vapour  was  forced  to  the 
outer  end  of  the  tube  and  became  ignited.  This,  however,  was 
a  clumsy  and  withal  a  dangerous  method.  The  heating  of  the 
platinum  tube  often  caused  premature  firing  or  back-firing 
when  the  engine  was  running  at  a  high  speed,  and  the  presence 
of  a  lighted  flame  in  the  neighbourhood  of  a  store  of  petrol  was 
a  fruitful  cause  of  fires,  and  has  in  its  time  compassed  the 
destruction  of  many  a  motor-car.  This  method  of  ignition, 
called  Tube  Ignition,  has  now  been  abandoned  in  favour  of 
Electric  Ignition,  of  which  there  are  two  principal  forms  in 
common  use. 

In  the  first  of  these,  High- Tension  Electric  Ignition,  the 
firing  is  caused  by  an  electric  spark  jumping  across  a  gap 
within  the  combustion  chamber  itself  once  during  every  four 
revolutions  of  the  fly-wheel ;  and  it  is  so  arranged  that  the  time 
of  the  spark  can  be  varied  by  the  person  driving  the  car,  who 
can  thus  cause  the  explosion  to  take  place  at  an  earlier  or  later 
point  in  the  explosion  stroke.  To  produce  a  spark  in  the  highly 
compressed  atmosphere  of  the  combustion  chamber  a  greater 
tension  of  electricity  is  required  than  is  supplied  by  the  ordinary 
battery  or  accumulator  ;  the  current  is  therefore  sent  through  an 
Induction  Coil,  in  which  is  induced  a  high-frequency  current  of 
much  greater  strength  than  that  given  out  by  the  battery  or 
accumulator  from  which  the  electricity  is  derived.     A  device 


THE  PETROL  MOTOR  AND  ITS  CONNECTIONS     51 

known  as  a  Commutator  is  in  this  system  employed  to  convey 
the  electric  current,  making  and  breaking  contact,  and  thus 
producing  the  sparks  in  the  combustion  chamber  at  the  right 
moment.  The  simplest  and  best  form  of  commutator  used  in 
connection  with  ignition  for  petrol  motors  is  an  insulated  hollow 
drum  with  four  contact  segments  or  pieces  of  metal,  which  are 
let  into  the  insulated  ring  at  equal  intervals,  and  to  which  are 
attached  terminals  from  which  the  current  is  conveyed  by  wires 
attached  to  the  different  cylinders.  The  commutator  ring  is 
placed  immediately  over  the  two  to  one  shaft,  and  attached  to 
the  shaft  is  a  brush  contact  which,  when  the  shaft  is  in  motion, 
passes  round  the  inside  of  the  commutator  ring,  and  makes  an 
electric  circuit  every  time  it  passes  one  of  the  metal  contacts, 
and  thus  a  current  of  electricity  is  conveyed  to  the  sparking 
plug  in  each  cylinder  at  the  right  period.  A  mechanical 
connection  from  the  driver's  seat  enables  the  position  of  the 
commutator  so  to  be  altered  that  the  firing  takes  place  a  little 
earlier  or  a  little  later  in  each  stroke  as  may  be  desired — 
the  process  known  as  advancing  or  retarding  the  spark.  For 
the  provision  of  a  suitable  spark  in  the  cylinder  the  wire  is 
attached  to  what  is  known  as  a  sparking  plug.  This  is  a  small 
metal  plug  screwed  into  the  top  of  the  combustion  chamber. 
It  contains  a  core  of  mica  or  porcelain  or  other  non-conducting 
material  through  which  the  wire  is  led,  the  end  of  the  wire 
terminating  in  a  platinum  point  fixed  in  close  proximity  to 
another  platinum  point  connected  directly  with  the  metal  of  the 
engine  and  car  which  forms  the  "  earth "  connection.  It  is 
across  the  gap  between  these  two  platinum  points  that  the 
igniting  spark  jumps.  The  disadvantages  of  the  high-tension 
system,  however,  are  many,  not  the  least  being  the  risk  of  short- 
circuiting  the  current  and  the  necessity  for  re-charging  the 
batteries  regularly. 

The  most  popular  form  of  ignition,  and  that  which  is  being 
adopted  on  nearly  all  but  the  very  smallest  petrol  cars,  is  the 
Low-Tension  Magneto  System,  in  which  batteries  and  accumula- 
tors are  done  away  with,  and  the  car  supplies  its  own  electricity 
while  running.  The  source  of  electricity  is  a  magneto  machine 
which  consists  of  two  or  three  permanent  magnets  of  the  or- 
dinary horse-shoe  shape  which  are  mounted  on  a  bronze  plate. 
An   H- shaped    armature  is   fixed    between    the   poles   of   the 


52 


THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 


magnets  ;  it  is  wound  with  insulated  copper  wire  connected 
at  one  end  to  a  terminal  and  at  the  other  to  the  core  itself. 
Between  the  armature  and  the  poles  of  the  magnet  is  mounted 
an  oscillating  shield  of  soft  iron.  This  shield  is  in  the  form 
of  two  curved  pieces  connected  at  the  ends  and  mounted  on 
pivots,  and  it  receives  its  oscillating  movement  from  a  cam  on 
the  half-time  shaft.  These  oscillations  of  the  shield  produce 
an  intermittent  current  in  the  wire  surrounding  the  armature. 
The  spark  is  produced  in  the  cylinder  by  means  of  an  insulated 
pin  mounted  in  the  wall  of  the  cylinder  itself,  this  pin  being 


IfinEOIATtLY  BEFORE   SPABKINO 


SIMMS-BOSCH    MAGNETO   SYSTEM 


connected  to  the  terminal  of  the  armature.  A  light  spring 
mechanism  carries  what  is  called  an  "interrupter"  arm,  which 
normally  rests  against  the  insulated  pin  and  forms  an  electric 
contact  with  it,  but  which,  by  means  of  the  movement  of  the 
cam  on  the  half-time  shaft,  is  moved  momentarily  out  of  contact 
with  the  pin  once  in  every  revolution  of  the  cam,  and  thus  pro- 
duces a  spark  in  the  cylinder.  The  system  which  is  here 
illustrated  by  a  diagram  is  the  Simms-Bosch  system,  and  is  the 
simplest  of  the  magneto  devices.  There  are  many  varieties, 
but  the  working  principle  is  practically  the  same  in  all  cases. 


THE  PETROL  MOTOR  AND  ITS  CONNECTIONS  53 

The  alteration  in  the  timing  of  the  spark  is  effected  by  the 
hehcal  movement  of  a  sleeve  mounted  on  the  cam  shaft. 

High -Tension  Magneto  Ignition  is  a  development  of  the 
low-tension  system  ;  in  this  case  the  magneto  machine  merely 
takes  the  place  of  accumulators,  and  the  low-tension  current 
thus  produced  is  sent  through  an  induction  coil  and  fires 
through  sparking-plugs,  just  as  in  the  ordinary  high-tension 
system. 

The  SILENCING  of  petrol  motors  is  an  important  matter, 
which  was  formerly  very  inefficiently  provided  for.  The  ex- 
plosions of  the  engine  and  the  emission  of  the  exhaust  gases 
would,  if  there  were  a  direct  passage  to  the  atmosphere,  cause 
an  extremely  loud  noise,  such  as  is  heard  on  racing  cars  which 
have  no  silencing  arrangements.  To  confine  the  exhaust  gases, 
however,  would  lead  to  back  pressure  on  the  engine  and  con- 
sequent diminution  of  power ;  and  the  problem  of  silencing 
has  been  to  reduce  the  sound  of  the  exhaust  to  a  minimum 
and  to  retain  the  maximum  of  power  given  off  by  the  engine. 
This  is  achieved  by  various  devices,  the  common  principle  of 
which  is  that  the  exhaust  gases  are  passed  into  a  chamber  or 
series  of  chambers  of  greater  dimensions  than  the  exhaust 
pipe  itself.  These  chambers  are  perforated,  so  that  the  ex- 
ploded charge  passes  from  one  to  the  other  and  is  gradually 
broken  up  and  distributed  to  the  atmosphere. 

There  are  various  methods  of  governing  the  running  of  the 
engine  automatically  so  that,  for  example,  when  the  load  is 
withdrawn  from  it  it  shall  not  suddenly  develop  an  excessive 
speed.  In  its  commonest  form  the  action  of  the  GOVERNOR 
is  centrifugal.  Its  movement,  after  a  certain  engine  speed  has 
been  exceeded,  serves  to  cut  off  the  supply  of  vapour  to  the 
engine  by  means  of  a  throttle  fixed  in  the  supply  pipe.  This 
system  is  known  as  "  governing  on  the  throttle."  Or  it  may 
act  so  as  to  govern  the  opening  of  the  inlet  valves,  thus  per- 
mitting more  or  less  gas  to  enter  the  cylinders ;  this  is  known 
as  "  governing  on  the  inlet " ;  or  in  the  third  system  the  move- 
ment of  the  governor  may  be  applied  to  the  exhaust  valves, 
restricting  their  opening  so  that  the  exhaust  gases  do  not 
escape  from  the  cylinder  and  therefore  prevent  the  opening 
of  the  inlet  valve  during  the  suction-stroke.  But  this  system, 
known   as  "  governing  on  the  exhaust,"  is  seldom  employed 


54  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

except  where  the  inlet  valves  are  operated  by  the  suction  of 
the  piston,  and  not  by  mechanism.  In  cases  where  an  ad- 
ditional speed  of  the  engine  is  required  to  that  for  which  the 
governor  is  set,  the  speed  can  be  increased  by  means  of  a  pedal 
which  prevents  the  governor  from  acting.  This  device  is  known 
as  the  "  accelerator." 

The  cooling  of  the  petrol  engine  is  generally  effected  in  one 
of  three  ways.  The  great  heat  developed  inside  the  cylinder 
by  the  rapid  movements  of  the  engine  would  soon  cause  the 
piston  to  seize  or  bind  if  it  were  not  kept  within  limits  ;  more- 
over, it  would  decompose  the  lubricating  oil  and  cause  oxidisa- 
tion of  the  valves.  In  almost  all  cases  the  engine  is  adapted  to 
be  cooled  by  the  atmosphere,  which  acts  either  through  the 
medium  of  water  or  directly  on  the  cylinder  itself.  Only  in 
small  engines,  however,  such  as  those  employed  on  motor- 
bicycles,  is  this  second  method  satisfactory ;  and  it  is  then  only 
feasible  while  the  vehicle  is  running  and  producing  a  current 
of  air  against  the  cylinder.  When  the  vehicle  is  stationary, 
or  travelling  slowly  up  a  hill  with  the  engine  exerting  con- 
siderable force,  there  is  great  danger  of  overheating.  In  these 
engines,  which  are  cooled  by  direct  contact  with  the  atmosphere 
and  are  known  as  "  air-cooled  engines,"  the  cylinder  is  fitted 
with  webs  or  rings  for  the  purpose  of  increasing  the  area 
of  metal  exposed  to  the  cooling  agent,  and  the  engine  is  placed 
so  that  it  receives  a  free  current  of  air  while  the  vehicle  is 
travelling.  The  only  large  motor-car  engine  which  is  still 
cooled  by  direct  contact  with  the  atmosphere  is  the  Lanchester, 
in  one  form  of  which  a  cool  condition  is  maintained  by  currents 
of  air  drawn  in  by  friction-driven  fans  to  a  space  surrounding 
the  engine. 

In  the  second  method  of  cooling,  water  is  interposed  as  a 
medium  between  the  atmosphere  and  the  engine.  A  tank  is 
fitted  containing  a  supply  of  water,  and  the  cylinders  are 
encased  with  a  covering  which  leaves  a  space  for  water  round 
the  cylinders,  and  is  known  as  a  "water-jacket."  The  water 
passes  from  the  tank  into  the  water-jacket,  where  it  absorbs  the 
heat  given  off  by  the  engine.  It  is  then  passed  out  at  or  near 
boiling  point  to  a  radiator  fixed  in  front  of  the  car.  The 
radiator  consists  in  one  form  of  a  long  metal  tube  bent  back- 
wards and  forwards  upon  itself,  upon  which  metal  flanges  are 


THE   PETROL  MOTOR  AND  ITS  CONNECTIONS     55 

closely  threaded  ;  and  in  its  progress  through  this  tube  or  series 
of  tubes  the  water  becomes  cooled,  until  it  is  returned  to  the 
tank  with  its  temperature  sufficiently  reduced  for  it  to  be  passed 
on  again  to  the  water-jacket  for  the  purpose  of  absorbing  the 
heat  developed  by  the  engine.  Thus  circulation  is  maintained 
either  by  a  centrifugal  pump  driven  by  a  chain  off  the  engine 
shaft,  or,  automatically,  by  means  of  what  is  known  as  the 
"  Thermo-Syphon  "  system,  in  which  advantage  is  taken  of  the 
fact  that  hot  water  rises  to  the  top  of  a  tank  and  cold  water 
sinks  to  the  bottom.  The  third  system,  which  was  introduced 
by  the  Mercedes  firm,  and  has  since  become  more  and  more 
common,  is  a  combination  of  the  two  methods  described  above. 
In  this  case  the  front  of  the  car  consists  of  a  water-tank  pierced 
like  a  honeycomb  throughout  its  whole  surface  with  apertures 
of  equal  dimensions ;  this  is  known  as  a  "  honeycomb  radiator." 
At  the  rear  of  this  is  placed  a  fan  which  draws  the  air  through 
the  holes  in  the  tank,  and  thus  cools  the  water  contained  in  it, 
even  when  the  car  is  standing  still.  In  the  Mercedes  cars  the 
fly-wheel  acts  as  a  fan,  its  surface  being  shaped  into  vanes  for 
that  purpose ;  and  in  some  cars  both  fan  and  fly-wheel  are 
used  to  draw  in  the  air.  The  water  from  the  tank  is  circulated 
through  water-jackets  on  the  engine  in  the  usual  way ;  but  in 
addition  the  current  of  air  induced  by  the  fan  helps,  by  playing 
round  the  cylinders,  to  keep  them  cool. 

As  the  petrol  engine,  unlike  the  steam  engine,  is  incapable 
of  starting  itself,  means  are  provided  for  starting  it  by  hand, 
and  afterwards  for  coupling  it  by  means  of  a  clutch  with  the 
work  which  it  has  to  do.  For  this  purpose  a  handle  is  fitted 
to  the  forward  end  of  the  crank  shaft.  It  engages  with  and 
turns  the  crank  shaft  until  the  engine  begins  to  work,  when  it  is 
released.  With  this  handle  are  given  to  the  engine  the  first  two 
or  three  turns  necessary  to  produce  the  initial  strokes  of  suction 
and  compression  ;  and  the  inflammable  charge  thus  produced 
being  ignited  automatically,  the  engine  starts.  So  fine  has  the 
work  in  motor-car  engineering  become,  however,  and  so  ac- 
curately are  the  valves  and  pistons  fitted,  that  in  many  four-  or 
six-cylinder  engines  the  compression  is  retained  for  many  hours 
after  the  engine  has  been  stopped  ;  so  that  all  that  is  necessary 
is  to  switch  on  the  ignition,  and  so  fire  the  cylinder  or  cylinders 
in  which  the  compressed  gas  has  been  retained. 


56  THE   COMPLETE    MOTORIST 

TRANSMISSION   AND   CONTROL 

The  transmission  of  the  power  generated  in  a  petrol  motor  to 
the  wheels  of  the  car  is  far  from  being  the  simple  problem  that 
it  might  appear.  Although  rotary  motion  is  produced  in  the 
engine  and  rotary  motion  is  desired  in  the  wheels,  the  direct 
coupling  of  the  two  together  is  for  many  reasons  impossible. 
For  one  thing,  direct  coupling  means  that  the  speed  of  the 
motor  is  similar  to  the  speed  of  the  road  wheels ;  and  although 
this  is  a  simple  enough  matter  in  a  steam  engine,  the  speed  of 
which  can  be  varied  merely  by  the  admission  of  more  or  less 
steam  to  the  cylinder,  the  fact  that  the  petrol  motor  runs  at 
what  is  virtually  a  constant  speed  makes  any  such  method 
impossible.  It  must  also  be  remembered  that  if  the  motor  runs 
only  at  the  same  speed  as  the  road  wheels  it  must  be  of  much 
greater  size,  in  order  to  develop  the  necessary  power,  than  if  it 
is  run  at  a  greater  speed.  Within  certain  limits,  indeed,  speed 
in  a  petrol  engine  may  be  regarded  as  a  substitute  for  size,  and, 
still  within  defined  limits,  the  area  of  the  piston  surface  may  be 
reduced  in  proportion  as  the  speed  at  which  the  pistons  are 
driven  is  increased.  And  as  size  and  weight  are  things  to  be 
avoided  as  far  as  possible  in  the  component  parts  of  a  motor- 
car, it  is  customary  to  develop  the  necessary  horse-power  in  a 
small  engine  which  is  run  at  very  high  speed,  the  speed  being 
much  reduced  in  the  course  of  its  transmission  to  the  road 
wheels. 

These  conditions  have,  in  the  last  year  or  two,  been  consider- 
ably modified  by  the  increased  range  of  speed  imparted  to  the 
petrol  motor  by  niceties  and  improvements  in  the  carburettor. 
At  the  same  time  an  increase  in  the  number  of  cylinders  used 
in  a  single  engine  has  assisted  to  the  same  end,  and  there  have 
actually  been  cars  constructed,  the  engines  of  which  were  com- 
posed of  eight  cylinders,  in  which  no  gearing  down  has  been 
employed,  the  whole  of  the  changes  of  speed  in  the  car  being 
effected  by  corresponding  variations  in  the  speed  of  the  motor. 
The  immense  complication  of  the  engine,  ignition,  and  valve 
gear  in  such  a  case,  however,  prevents  its  practical  application 
to  the  purposes  of  ordinary  motor-cars,  and  it  can  only  be 
regarded  as  an  interesting  experiment.  The  most  usual  prac- 
tice in  the  construction  of  petrol-driven  motor-cars  is  to  place  a 


THE  PETROL  MOTOR  AND  ITS  CONNECTIONS     57 

high-speed  petrol  motor  in  front  of  the  car,  where  it  is  protected 
by  a  bonnet,  and  to  drive  the  rear  wheels  by  means  of  chains 
and  gearing.  This  is  very  far  from  being  a  mechanically  ideal 
method  ;  it  places  the  engine  at  the  farthest  possible  point  from 
its  work,  and  at  the  same  time  causes  the  absorption  of  from  30 
to  60  per  cent,  of  its  power  in  the  transmission  gearing,  so  that 
sometimes  only  a  small  proportion  of  the  power  given  off  by 
the  engine  is  delivered  at  the  rim  of  the  road  wheels.  Never- 
theless, considerations  of  mechanical  convenience  seem  to  have 
united  most  designers  in  agreement  that,  under  the  existing 
systems  of  transmission,  this  is  the  best  solution  of  the  problem 
of  construction. 

In  such  cars  as  the  Duryea  and  the  Lanchester  very  great 
ingenuity  has  been  directed  towards  the  securing  of  a  more 
ideal  design ;  certainly  such  a  system  as  that  of  the  Lanchester, 
in  which  the  engine  is  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  car,  is  more 
rational  and  mechanically  sound'than  any  other.  But  it  is  only 
really  satisfactory  with  an  engine  of  a  perfectly  balanced  type 
such  as  the  Lanchester ;  indeed,  a  feature  of  the  Lanchester  car 
is  that  originality  in  one  part  of  the  design  has  involved  origi- 
nality in  another,  and  that  each  part  of  the  car  has  had  to  be 
logically  thought  out  in  order  to  justify  and  make  good  what 
has  gone  before.  Moreover,  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  the 
Lanchester  car  would  hardly  be  possible  if  it  were  not  for  the 
brilliant  ingenuity  and  mechanical  beauty  of  the  system  of  sus- 
pension employed,  which  solves  the  steering  problem  as  well  as 
the  difficulties  involved  by  the  central  position  of  the  engine. 

The  usual  practice,  however,  is  the  less  perfect  one  already 
described,  which  is  not  without  solid  advantages.  The  forward 
position  of  the  engine  makes  cooling  a  comparatively  easy 
matter,  as  not  only  the  radiator  but  the  engine  itself  receives 
the  full  cooling  effect  of  the  wind  caused  by  the  travel  of  the 
car.  It  is  also  easily  accessible  and,  being  in  a  position  entirely 
isolated  from  the  passenger  part  of  the  carriage,  does  not  cause 
dirt  and  untidiness  where  these  can  least  be  tolerated.  The 
control  of  the  engine  is  also  somewhat  simplified,  and  it  is 
readily  exposed  for  the  purposes  of  adjustment.  By  far  the 
greater  number  of  makers  place  the  engine  vertically  in  this 
position,  the  crank  shaft  being  situated  longitudinally  beneath 
the  car.     Immediately  behind  the  engine  is  situated  a  device 


58  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

by  which  it  can  be  mechanically  coupled  and  uncoupled  to  its 
work  of  driving  the  car.  This  is  necessary  because,  as  the 
engine  has  to  be  started  by  hand,  it  would  be  inconvenient 
to  stop  it  every  time  it  was  required  to  stop  the  car  moment- 
arily and  to  alight  and  start  it  up  again.  This  mechanism  is 
known  as  the  clutch,  and  is  generally  of  the  kind  known  as 
a  friction  clutch.  On  the  rear  end  of  the  crank  axle  is  fixed 
the  fly-wheel,  the  rear  face  of  which  is  shaped  as  a  large  and 
very  flat  hollow  cone.  The  transmission  shaft,  which  is  to  be 
coupled  to  it,  lies  in  line  and  concentric  with  it,  the  forward  end 
of  this  shaft  terminating  in  another  cone  which  can,  by  means 
of  a  sliding  sleeve  on  the  transmission  shaft,  be  made  to  engage 
with  the  hollow  or  outer  cone  on  the  crank  shaft.  One  or  other 
of  the  surfaces  is  in  many  cases  covered  with  leather  or  with 
fibre,  and  the  friction  produced  by  the  pressing  of  the  one  cone 
within  the  other  causes  them  to  revolve  together,  so  that  the 
motion  of  the  crank  shaft  is  thus  transmitted.  The  two  cones 
are  normally  held  in  engagement  by  a  powerful  spring,  which 
can  be  compressed  by  the  pressure  of  a  pedal  and  the  male  cone 
thus  withdrawn.  Another  form  of  clutch,  which  is  much  used 
on  some  of  the  larger  and  heavier  makes  of  car,  is  an  expanding 
ring  or  drum,  which,  when  it  is  not  desired  to  transmit  motion, 
remains  stationary  within  a  non-expanding  ring  attached  to  the 
fly-wheel,  or  forming  part  of  it.  When  it  is  desired  to  com- 
municate the  motion  of  the  fly-wheel  to  the  gear  shaft  the 
release  of  a  pedal  causes  the  inner  ring  to  expand  and  its 
circumference  to  grip  that  of  the  inside  rim  of  the  fly-wheel. 
A  magnetic  clutch  has  also  been  devised,  in  which  an  electric 
current  is  caused  to  produce  a  magnetic  contact  between  the 
two  portions  of  the  clutch  ;  but  this  is  not  a  usual  method. 
Another  form  of  clutch  is  brought  into  action  by  means  of  a 
coil  spring,  the  principle  being  that  when  the  clutch  pedal  is 
depressed  it  makes  a  connection  between  the  clutch  and  a  very 
strong  steel  coil  mounted  on  the  shaft  upon  which  the  clutch 
slides,  and  so  causes  the  wire  coil  to  be  wound  up  so  that  the 
motion  of  the  fly-wheel  is  transmitted.  But  it  will  be  seen 
that  the  principle  common  to  all  clutches  is  the  engagement 
or  disengagement  of  two  concentric  and  parallel  revolving 
surfaces. 

It  is  not  enough,  however,  to  gear  the  transmission  shaft,  thus 


THE  PETROL  MOTOR  AND  ITS  CONNECTIONS    59 

brought  into  contact  with  the  crank  shaft  directly,  to  the  road 
wheels ;  for  then  the  car  (provided  the  speed  of  the  motor  was 
constant)  would  only  be  able  to  travel  at  one  rate  of  speed. 
Changes  of  speed  in  the  car  have  therefore  to  be  provided  for 
by  different  sets  of  gearing,  by  means  of  which  the  gear  shaft 
transmits  its  motion  to  the  road  wheels  in  different  ratios.  The 
usual  way  of  accomplishing  this  is  by  means  of  gear  wheels,  the 
principle  of  which  may  be  easily  understood  from  the  familiar 
working  of  one  cogged  or  toothed  wheel  in  another.  If  two 
cogged  wheels  of  equal  sizes  are  placed  in  mesh  and  one  of  them 


anrJy^ 


is  revolved,  the  other  will  be  revolved  at  equal  speed,  but  in  an 
opposite  direction.  If  a  third  cogged  wheel  of  equal  size  be 
interposed  between  them,  the  original  two  will  then  revolve 
in  the  same  direction.  If  one  cogged  wheel  be  revolved  in 
mesh  with  another  of  twice  the  diameter,  the  large  wheel  will 
turn  round  at  only  half  the  speed  of  the  small  one — that  is 
to  say,  that  if  one  of  them  has  ten  teeth  and  the  other  twenty, 
the  wheel  with  ten  teeth  will  make  a  complete  revolution  while 
the  wheel  with  twenty  teeth  makes  only  half  a  revolution.  It 
will  now  be  seen  that,  given  wheels  with  teeth  of  equal  size, 
the  diameter  of  each  wheel  may  be  varied  indefinitely  with 
a   corresponding  variation   in  the   speed  transmitted.     If  the 


60 


THE   COMPLETE    MOTORIST 


driving  wheels  are  of  smaller  size  than  the  driven  wheels,  the 
speed  will  be  reduced  in  transmission,  but  if  the  driving  wheels 
are  larger  than  the  driven  wheels,  the  speed  will  be  increased  in 
transmission.  The  first  method  is  known  as  gearing  down,  and 
requires  the  exertion  of  less  force  in  the  motor ;  and  the  second 
is  known  as  gearing  up,  and  requires  the  motor  to  exert  more 
force  per  revolution  for  the  performance  of  an  equal  amount 
of  work.  The  same  effect  is  produced  if,  instead  of  two  toothed 
wheels  moving  in  engagement  with  an  intermediate  wheel,  they 
are  connected  by  a  chain,  the  links  of  which  pass  over  the  teeth 
on  the  wheels. 


In  the  application  of  this  principle  to  the  driving  of  motor- 
cars the  gear  shaft  is  fitted  with  a  number  of  toothed  wheels 
of  different  sizes,  in  accordance  with  the  number  of  speeds  at 
which  it  is  proposed  to  drive  the  car.  If  there  are  three  speeds 
and  a  reverse  there  will  be  three  toothed  wheels  of  different 
sizes  keyed  on  to  this  shaft.  Parallel  with  it,  and  in  the  same 
horizontal  plane,  lies  another  shaft  called  the  secondary  shaft, 
and  on  this  there  will  also  be  three  toothed  wheels  of  different 
sizes.  Mechanism  is  supplied  for  sliding  these  wheels  into 
various  positions  on  the  shafts,  so  that  different  wheels  on 
each  shaft  can  be  brought  into  mesh.  Thus,  when  the  smallest 
wheel  on  the  gear  shaft  is  in  mesh  with  the  largest  wheel  on  the 
secondary  shaft,  the  car  will  be  on  its  first  or  lowest  speed. 
To  obtain  a  reverse  movement  a  cogged  wheel  is  introduced 
into  mesh  between  two  wheels  on  the  different  shafts,  so  that 
the  motion  of  the  secondary  shaft  is  thus  reversed.  This  is 
the  change-speed  gear  in  its  simplest  and  commonest  form, 
but  in  detail  it  contains  an  almost  infinite  number  of  varia- 


THE  PETROL  MOTOR  AND  ITS  CONNECTIONS     61 

tions,  some  of  which  will  be  found  described  in  the  following 
chapter. 

Before  considering  the  remainder  of  the  transmission,  i.e.  from 
the  secondary  shaft  to  the  road  wheels,  we  must  notice  a  differ- 
ence that  exists  between  vehicles  which  drive  themselves  and 
those  which  are  drawn  behind  horses  or  other  tractors.  When 
an  ordinary  horse-drawn  carriage  is  turning  a  sharp  corner  it 
will  be  noticed  that  the  near  wheel  is  almost  stationary,  while 
the  wheel  on  the  outside  of  the  curve  revolves  at  considerable 
speed.  This  is  simply  because  each  wheel  is  revolving  indepen- 
dently upon  the  axle.  But  if,  as  in  the  case  of  motor-cars  or 
locomotive  engines,  the  axle  itself  is  what  drives  the  wheels, 
they  no  longer  revolve  upon  it,  but  are  keyed  positively  to  it 
and  revolve  with  it.  With  this  arrangement  it  is  impossible  for 
one  wheel  to  revolve  faster  than  the  other,  and  therefore  in 
going  round  the  curve  the  inside  wheel,  to  accommodate  itself 
to  the  rate  of  speed  imparted  to  the  outside  wheel,  would  have 
to  be  thrust  sideways  upon  the  road.  In  locomotive  engines 
and  carriages  with  "  live "  or  revolving  axles,  this  side  play  is 
extremely  small  owing  to  the  large  radius  of  the  curves  em- 
ployed ;  and  the  small  amount  of  play  necessary  is  allowed  for 
by  the  flanges  of  the  wheels  being  an  inch  or  two  nearer 
together  than  the  inside  edges  of  the  rails.  In  tram-cars  where 
the  radius  of  curve  is  often  necessarily  smaller,  the  amount  of 
play  required  is  not  possible ;  and  if  you  will  go  and  examine 
the  lines  of  any  tramway  on  a  sharp  curve,  you  will  see  the 
inside  rail  all  polished  and  worn  away  with  the  grinding  and 
slipping  action  of  the  inside  wheel. 

In  a  motor-car,  however,  which  travels  at  high  speeds  and 
round  far  sharper  curves  than  those  of  tramways  or  railways, 
wheels  rigidly  connected  by  a  revolving  axle  would  soon  be 
destroyed  by  the  dragging  strains  of  the  radial  action  developed 
in  turning.  The  device  known  as  the  "differential  gear"  has 
therefore  been  designed  to  allow  each  wheel,  or  rather  each  half 
of  the  live  axle,  to  turn  at  a  greater  or  less  speed  than  the 
other.  This  device  consists  of  the  division  of  the  axle  in  or 
near  the  middle  of  its  length  by  a  gap  large  enough  to  admit 
the  wheels  of  the  differential  gear.  To  the  centre  end  of  each 
of  the  two  axles  formed  by  this  division  is  keyed  a  bevel  wheel, 
the  two  wheels  having  their  bevelled  surfaces  facing  each  other, 


62 


THE    COMPLETE    MOTORIST 


but  with  a  space  between  them.  In  this  space  there  runs  a 
plain  wheel,  which  is  free  to  revolve  about  the  axle  ;  it  carries 
mounted  upon  it  three  pinions,  all  of  which  are  engaged  with 
the  two  bevel  wheels  on  either  side.  The  wheel  carrying  the 
pinions  receives  the  driving  impulse  either  by  means  of  a  chain 
or  a  bevel  gear,  and  as  it  revolves  it  carries  round  with  it  the 
small  pinions,  vv^hich  in  their  turn  drive  the  bevel  wheels  keyed 
to  the  axles.  But  if  either  of  these  wheels  should  meet  with  an 
obstruction,  or  if  in  turning  one  of  them  should  be  required  to 
make  more  revolutions  than  the  other,  the  pinions  would  them- 


'//y//!i\\\\\\'^^ 


I 

T 

1 

T 

g-ine 

Fly-wheel 

Change-speed 

Bevel  drive  to  live  axle 

and  chitch 

gear 

(differential  gear  not  shown) 

SKETCH   ILLUSTRATING   TRANSMISSION    THROUGH   LIVE   REAR  AXLE 


selves  revolve  about  their  axles,  and  by  doing  so  would  com- 
pensate for  the  faster  revolution  of  one  bevel  wheel  than  the 
other. 

I  have  described  the  differential  arrangement  as  it  is  fitted  to 
small  cars  which  are  driven  by  a  live  rear  axle ;  but  a  more 
usual  arrangement  for  large  cars,  and  one  which  is  adopted  by 
the  leading  makers,  is  to  have  a  separate  shaft,  parallel  with  the 
rear  axle,  called  the  differential  shaft,  driven  by  bevel  gearing 
from  the  secondary  shaft  in  the  gear  case.  This  differential 
shaft  contains  the  compensating  gear  just  described  above,  and 
carries  at  its  extremities  two  sprockets  which  drive  the  rear 
wheels  by  means  of  chains.     It  will  be  seen  that  in  this  system 


THE   PETROL  MOTOR  AND  ITS  C(3NNECTIONS     63 

of  transmission  there  are  no  less  than  four  distinct  steps — from 
the  engine  to  the  clutch,  from  the  clutch  to  the  gear-box,  from 
the  gear-box  to  the  differential  shaft,  and  from  the  differential 
shaft  to  the  road  wheels  ;  and  this  is  really  the  mechanical  weak- 
ness and  clumsiness  of  modern  petrol  motor-cars.  Although 
exquisite  work  and  fitting  are  put  into  it  by  the  best  makers,  it 
remains  a  costly,  primitive,  and  wasteful  method  of  transmitting 
motion.  The  extraordinary  care  and  accuracy  required  in  the 
cutting  and  hardening  of  the  gears  makes  it  one  of  the  most 
expensive  parts  of  the  motor-car,  and  the  amount  of  friction 


Change-        Differential  Rear  axle 

speed  gear  sJi aft 

SKETCH    ILLUSTRATING   TRANSMISSION   THROUGH   SIDE   SPROCKETS 
AND   CHAINS 


taken  up  by  the  various  bearings,  chains,  and  wheels  is  a  serious 
discount  upon  the  mechanical  economy  of  the  machine.  In  a 
year  or  two,  I  am  convinced,  we  shall  see  no  more  of  it,  and 
wonder  how  we  could  have  tolerated  so  costly  and  clumsy  a 
method.  It  is  varied  by  many  builders  of  light  cars  by  what  is 
known  as  the  direct  drive  and  live  axle.  In  this  case  there  is 
no  differential  shaft,  the  differential  gear  being  mounted  on  the 
rear  axle  and  driven  by  a  shaft  direct  from  the  gear-box.  The 
gearing  is  so  contrived  that  when  the  car  is  on  its  top  speed  the 
secondary  shaft  is  not  engaged,  and  there  is  consequently  no 
loss  of  energy  between  the  clutch  and  the  differential  gear. 
This,  however,  only  mitigates,  and  does  not  abolish,  the  evils  of 


64 


THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 


the  ordinary  chain-speed  gear ;  and  it  does  not  wear  as  well  as 
the  chain  system  of  driving. 

As  in  so  many  other  cases,  it  is  to  the  Lanchester  car  that 
we  have  to  look  for  the  most  successful  attempt  on  a  large  car 
to  avoid  this  somewhat  barbarous  mechanical  device.  In  this 
case  changes  of  speed  are  not  achieved  by  means  of  toothed 
wheels  which  have  to  be  forced  into  mesh,  and  which  con- 
sequently take  up  their  work  with  considerable  jar  and  wear. 
The  Lanchester  system  of  change  speed  gear  consists  of  three 


SKETCH   ILLUSTRATING  CRYPTO  GEAR 


separate  trains  of  Crypto,  or  epicyclic  gear,  the  principle  of 
which  is  that  by  holding  or  driving  different  elements  of  a  gear 
which  is  always  in  mesh,  different  ratios  of  speed  are  produced. 
In  two  of  the  Lanchester  trains  of  gearing  the  central  element 
is  formed  by  the  end  of  a  hollow  shaft  which  has  teeth  cut 
upon  it,  these  teeth  being  in  gear  with  the  planet  wheels  of  the 
Crypto.  All  that  is  necessary  in  changing  gear  is  to  move  the 
lever  which  tightens  a  band  on  one  of  the  friction  drums  and 
locks  it,  an  operation  which  is  perfectly  smooth  and  requires 
no  accurate  and  noisy  shooting  of  gear  wheels  into  mesh.     The 


THE  PETROL  MOTOR  AND  ITS  CONNECTIONS     65 

transmission  gear  of  the  Lanchester  is  by  a  worm  gear  of 
splendid  efficiency  and  durability.  The  rear  frame  of  the  car 
carries  within  itself  the  live  axles  with  their  bearings  and 
differential  gear,  which  is  driven  by  the  special  worm  and 
wheel.  This  worm  and  wheel  is  cut  at  a  very  high  angle,  and 
the  form  of  it  has  been  obtained  by  very  careful  calculation, 
and  it  is  probably  due  to  this  accuracy  and  thoroughness  and 
correctness  of  principle  that  the  Lanchester  worm -driving 
mechanism  is  so  far  ahead  of  anything  else  of  its  class.  On 
the  Duryea  and  Oldsmobile  cars  a  form  of  epicyclic  change- 
speed  gear  is  also  used,  and  with  excellent  results  ;  nor  have 
I  any  doubt  that  it  will  rapidly  come  into  far  wider  use  for  this 
particular  purpose  than  it  enjoys  at  present. 

A  method  of  transmission  which  does  away  with  many  of 
the  mechanical  complications  described  above  is  known  as  the 
Petrol- Electric  System,  the  principle  of  which  is  that  the  petrol 
engine,  instead  of  being  connected  by  gears  to  the  road  wheels 
of  the  car,  is  made  to  drive  a  dynamo,  the  electricity  thus  pro- 
duced being  passed  through  electric  motors  which  drive  the 
road  wheels.  A  good  example  of  this  system  as  applied  to 
touring  cars  is  the  Lohner-Porsche  petrol-electric  car.  In  this 
system  a  Mercedes  or  Panhard  engine  and  car  are  used  ;  the 
engine  is  coupled  to  the  armature  of  the  dynamo,  which  is  in 
the  position  usually  occupied  by  the  clutch  in  a  petrol  car. 
The  dynamo  runs  like  a  fly-wheel  inside  a  circular  field  magnet, 
which  is  attached  to  the  frame,  but  not  rigidly,  by  means  of 
springs.  The  driving  power  is  placed  in  the  front  wheels, 
which  in  this  car  are  the  driving  wheels.  Each  of  these  wheels 
has  a  Lohner-Porsche  motor  enclosed  in  the  hubs,  the  current 
being  conveyed  to  them  through  a  controller  situated  beneath 
the  footboard.  A  single  lever  acts  on  the  controller,  and  the 
speeds  are  graduated  so  that  when  the  lever  is  pushed  back  the 
speed  decreases.  The  motor  can  be  used  as  a  very  powerful 
brake. 

Such  a  system  of  transmission,  a  variation  of  which  is  used 
on  the  Fischer  and  Hart  vehicles,  has  for  its  advantages  a 
flexible  and  complete  control  in  addition  to  perfectly  smooth 
and  quiet  running.  The  absence  of  gears  is  also  a  great  ad- 
vantage ;  but  it  must  be  remembered  as  a  set-off  to  these 
virtues  that  additional  complications  are  involved  by  the  use 


66  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

of  two  separate  systems  of  power  generation,  and  that  the 
wear  and  replacement  involved  by  some  parts  of  the  electric 
apparatus  are  both  troublesome  and  expensive. 

Brakes  are  an  important  part  of  a  motor-car  ;  indeed,  the 
motorist  has  to  trust  his  life  to  them.  There  are  always  two 
independent  brakes  on  a  petrol  car,  one  of  which,  actuated  by 
a  pedal,  is  generally  mounted  on  the  differential  shaft,  and  is 
of  itself  powerful  enough  to  control  the  car  under  all  ordinary 
circumstances  ;  and  the  second  is  applied  to  drums  fixed  on 
the  rear  wheels,  and  is  actuated  by  a  side  lever.  These  brakes 
usually  take  the  form  of  bands  encircling  a  revolving  drum, 
or  of  expanding  drums  working  within  a  revolving  band.  In 
either  case  their  action  is  so  designed  as  to  act  upon  either 
forward  or  backward  motion  of  the  car ;  and  if  they  are  kept 
in  proper  order  and  are  properly  constructed,  the  wheels  of  a 
motor-car  can  be  locked  by  them  at  any  speed  or  on  any 
declivity.  In  some  cars,  notably  the  Mercedes,  the  brake 
drums  acting  on  the  counter-shaft  and  second-motion  shaft 
respectively  are  adapted  to  be  cooled  by  water,  which  is  auto- 
matically allowed  to  run  on  to  the  brake  so  that  the  heat 
generated  by  the  friction  of  two  metal  surfaces  shall  not  be 
excessive. 

The  steering  of  motor-cars  is  almost  universally  effected  on 
what  is  known  as  the  Ackermann  system.  In  this  the  front 
axle  is  rigidly  attached  to  the  frame  of  the  car.  At  each 
extremity  is  pivoted  a  short  arm,  which  is  free  to  turn  through 
a  small  horizontal  radius  from  the  end  of  the  fixed  axle.  On 
these  two  arms  are  mounted  the  front  wheels,  on  either  plain 
or  ball  bearings.  Other  short  arms  forming  part  of  the  two 
pivoted  arms  project  towards  the  front  of  the  car,  and  their 
ends  are  connected  by  a  light  rod  parallel  with  the  fixed  axle, 
so  that  the  turning  movement  of  one  wheel  is  communicated 
to  the  other.  There  are  two  principal  methods  by  which 
the  driver  of  the  car  controls  the  front  wheels :  one  is  by 
means  of  a  steel  tiller  connected  direct  to  the  steering  arm 
through  rods  and  levers ;  the  other  method  is  to  have  a  small 
wheel  fixed  in  front  of  the  driver,  the  turning  movement  of 
which  is  communicated  by  worm  and  wheel  gearing  to  one 
of  the  pivoted  steering  arms.  The  disadvantage  of  the  first 
system  for  all  but  the  very  lightest  cars  is  that  movements  of 


THE  PETROL  MOTOR  AND  ITS  CONNECTIONS  67 

the  front  wheels,  provoked  by  inequalities  in  the  road  surface, 
react  upon  the  driver's  hand  and  tend  to  cause  deflection  of  the 
steering ;  while  the  superior  strength  and  rigidity  of  the  second 
systenn,  together  with  the  fact  that  the  steering  is  irreversible 
and  is  not  influenced  by  strains  thrown  on  the  road  wheels, 
makes  its  use  for  ordinary  purposes  practically  universal. 


CHAPTER   IV 

SOME   TYPES    OF   PETROL   CAR 

Differences  in  petrol  cars — Continental  experience  and  English  practice — The  Crossley 
car — A  bid  for  British  pre-eminence — The  Napier  car — The  Mercedes  car — Lan- 
chesters  and  Independence  —  The  Daimler  car  —  The  De  Dietrich  car — The 
Wolseley  car — The  Renault  car — An  American  example — The  Hutton  car — 
Courage  and  originality — The  Thornycroft  car. 

IT  has  for  long  been  the  ambition  of  English  manufacturers 
to  turn  out  a  motor-car  that  is  as  well  constructed  and 
of  as  sound  workmanship  and  excellence  of  design  as  the 
best  automobiles  built  by  foreign  makers.  For  a  long  time  the 
struggle  to  wrest  from  foreign  competitors  the  pre-eminence 
that,  although  it  has  been  envied,  has  been  frankly  recognised, 
has  been  strenuously  carried  on  ;  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  the 
English  manufacturers  are  rapidly  overtaking  their  foreign  com- 
petitors and  that,  although  the  average  of  their  work  is  still 
below  the  average  of,  say,  the  French  makers,  there  are  here 
and  there  signs  that  in  individual  cases  an  English  motor-car 
can  be  turned  out  that  can  in  every  respect  be  favourably  com- 
pared with  a  German  or  French  machine  of  the  first  class.  The 
difficulties  have  been  very  great.  The  evolution  of  the  motor 
vehicle  up  to  the  present  time  has  been  largely  assisted  by  the 
knowledge  and  experience  gained  in  connection  with  racing, 
and  in  this  matter  English  makers  of  motor-cars  have  lacked 
the  advantages  by  which  their  Continental  rivals  have  so  greatly 
profited.  In  the  efforts  to  obtain  lightness  combined  with 
strength,  moreover,  many  problems  were  set  before  foreign  con- 
structors. Aluminium  in  many  alloyed  forms  had  to  be  used, 
special  steel  prepared  to  stand  special  strains,  and  special 
devices  to  accomplish  special  functions. 

It  cannot  be  said  that  the  British  manufacturers  have  hitherto 

68 


SOME   TYPES   OF   PETROL   CAR  69 

fully  availed  themselves  of  Continental  experience,  for  some  of 
the  best-known  English  motor-cars  are  designed,  if  not  with  a 
contempt  for,  at  any  rate  with  a  complete  avoidance  of.  Con- 
tinental practice  ;  and  the  result  is  that  although  the  makers  of 
English  cars  of  repute  are  few  in  number  as  compared  with  the 
French  and  Germans,  their  practice  shows  far  greater  variety 
and  lack  of  unanimity,  even  with  regard  to  broad  principles  of 
construction.  In  the  descriptions  of  various  cars  to  which  this 
chapter  is  devoted  I  have  tried  to  give  as  briefly  as  possible  the 
salient  points  in  connection  with  a  number  of  cars  chosen  for 
the  sake  of  the  variety  afforded  by  them.  In  my  list,  therefore, 
will  be  found  more  English  than  foreign  cars ;  but  it  must  be 
remembered  that  I  have  not  chosen  for  description  merely  what 
I  consider  to  be  the  best  motor-cars,  but  have  been  influenced 
chiefly  by  the  wish  to  present  a  group  which  among  them  prac- 
tically cover  the  field  of  modern  petrol-motor  practice.  I  have 
abstained  from  describing  what  are  sometimes  called  "  freak " 
cars — that  is  to  say,  machines  in  which  eccentricity  of  construc- 
tion seems  to  have  been  the  chief  inspiration  of  the  designers. 
Many  of  these  cars  achieve  remarkable  performances  on  the 
racing  track,  but  have  no  effect  upon  the  development  of  the 
industry  as  a  whole,  and  are  of  no  value  whatever  to  private 
users.  Indeed,  I  have  avoided  describing  any  cars  constructed 
chiefly  for  racing  purposes,  interesting  as  many  of  them  are 
from  the  engineer's  point  of  view.  The  Gobron-Brillie  car,  for 
instance,  the  unique  principle  of  which  is  that  the  engine  is 
doubled  vertically,  and  that  the  explosion  in  each  cylinder 
drives  two  pistons  in  opposite  directions,  has  been  carrying 
everything  before  it  on  the  Continental  short-distance  racing 
tracks  ;  but  this  system  seems  too  complicated  to  assist  in  the 
development  of  the  motor-car  in  the  direction  of  simplicity  and 
cheapness. 

I  have  described  one  car  at  great  length  and  in  full  detail  in 
order  to  give  as  minute  a  description  as  possible  to  the  non- 
technical reader  of  the  manner  in  which  a  modern  motor-car  is 
constructed,  I  have  chosen  for  this  purpose  the  Crossley  car, 
partly  because,  although  it  is  a  new  car,  it  is  the  work  of  one  of 
the  greatest  engineering  firms  in  the  world,  and  partly  because 
it  bids  fair  to  place  English  motor-car  construction  at  last  on  a 
level  with  that  of  the  Continent,  and  even,  perhaps,  to  wrest 


70  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

the  blue  ribbon  of  popular  and  expert  favour  from  the  famous 
German  Mercedes. 

I  am,  moreover,  greatly  interested  in  the  attitude  of  the 
designers  of  the  Crossley  car  towards  the  achievements  of 
other  makers.  They  have  shown  themselves  thoroughly  broad- 
minded,  and  have  evidently  been  determined,  not  so  much  to 
invent  an  original  machine,  as  to  avail  themselves  of  every  frag- 
ment of  experience  that  others  have  acquired  ;  to  apply  every 
lesson  that  has  been  learned  in  other  schools,  and  so  to  pro- 
duce a  machine  which  is  really  representative  of  the  very  best 
that  the  combined  intellect  and  experience,  not  of  one  country 
alone,  but  of  the  whole  world,  can  produce.  They  have  not 
even  laid  it  down  as  a  sacred  canon  that  every  single  part  of 
the  car  shall  be  of  their  own  or  even  of  British  manufacture. 
If  anyone  else  can,  in  Messrs.  Crossley's  opinion,  manufacture 
any  part  of  the  car  better  than  they  can  manufacture  it,  they 
have  not  been  ashamed  to  avail  themselves  of  the  pre-eminence 
of  other  people.  This,  indeed,  raises  the  whole  question  as  to 
what  constitutes  a  British  motor-car.  There  are  cars  which  are 
extensively  advertised  as  being  of  entirely  English  manufacture, 
although,  perhaps,  if  one  visits  the  works  where  they  are  built 
one  finds  that  half  the  workmen  are  foreigners.  This,  I  am 
convinced,  need  not  discredit  the  excellence  of  the  workman- 
ship ;  but  it  is  not  British  workmanship.  Moreover,  if  one  goes 
far  enough  back  in  the  manufacturing  process  of  such  a  thing  as 
steel,  one  may  find  that  there  is  no  such  thing  as  an  article  pro- 
duced exclusively  by  any  one  country.  Therefore  it  seems  to 
me  that  the  essence  of  a  British-built  car  is  that  it  should  be 
designed  and  its  principal  parts  manufactured  in  England  ;  that 
the  capital  devoted  to  its  construction  should  be  English  capital, 
and  that  the  wages  spent  by  the  workmen  who  make  it  should 
be  paid  and  spent  in  England — in  other  words,  that  it  should 
be  the  product  of  English  brains,  English  methods,  and  English 
commerce.  Given  these  conditions,  it  matters  to  the  British 
motor-car  industry  not  one  jot  that  certain  structural  com- 
ponents should  be  brought  from  abroad,  always  provided  that 
they  are  better  than  anything  that  can  be  made  in  England. 
Nationality  is  no  excuse  for  an  inferior  article ;  but  national 
commerce  cannot  fail  to  benefit  by  the  spirit  of  emulation  and 


SOME   TYPES   OF   PETROL   CAR  71 

competition  engendered  by  the  use  of  the  best  in  everything, 
no  matter  where  it  comes  from. 

I  have  been  tempted  into  this  httle  economic  excursion  by  the 
controversies  and  criticisms  that  rage  round  the  question  as  to 
whether  such  and  such  a  car  is  of  entirely  British  manufacture. 
The  views  of  those  who  apply  the  standard  of  nationality  with 
academic  exactness  are  very  short-sighted  views,  as  I  think  it 
not  unlikely  that  the  Crossley  car  may  prove. 

THE   CROSSLEY   CAR 

The  Crossley  car  is  the  result  of  a  happy  combination  of 
three  forces  working  together  in  the  determination  to  produce 
a  motor  vehicle  of  the  highest  grade  in  workmanship  and  of 
absolutely  first-rate  design.  As  to  Messrs.  Crossley  Brothers 
themselves,  I  suppose  that  no  firm  in  the  world  has  a  greater 
name  among  engineers,  and  no  firm  so  world-wide  a  reputation 
for  the  construction  of  internal  combustion  engines ;  and  with 
their  experience,  their  financial  resources,  and  their  facilities  for 
manufacture,  no  firm  is  in  a  better  position  to  take  up  on  a 
large  scale  the  manufacture  of  high-class  motor-cars.  The 
second  of  the  three  influences  which  have  combined  to  produce 
the  Crossley  car  is  Mr.  J.  S.  Critchley,  M.I.M.E.,  for  some  time 
works  manager  of  the  Daimler  Motor  Company,  and  who  has 
been  associated  with  the  industry  from  the  beginning.  His 
experience,  as  one  who  has  followed  in  minute  and  technical 
detail  the  evolution  of  the  modern  motor-car,  is  no  common 
qualification  for  the  important  task  of  getting  out  the  drawings 
and  attending  to  the  construction  of  the  Crossley  car.  And 
then — last,  but  not  least — we  have  Mr.  Charles  Jarrott,  who,  as 
a  member  of  the  firm  of  Messrs.  Jarrott  &  Letts,  has  in  his 
hands  the  selling  of  the  car  and  the  responsibility  for  the  com- 
mercial side  of  the  enterprise.  The  experience  of  Mr.  Jarrott, 
who  has,  if  I  may  say  so,  "  grown  up  "  with  the  industry,  who 
has  had  unlimited  opportunities  of  observing  on  the  road  the 
forms  of  construction  that  have  given  trouble,  noted  and 
analysed  the  reason  for  success  in  other  types,  appreciated  the 
needs  of  the  public,  who  is,  moreover,  in  touch  with  some  of  the 
principal  Continental  works,  is  invaluable  in  an  enterprise  of 
this  kind.     Mr.  Jarrott  has  been  able  to  bring  to  bear  on  the 


72  THE   COMPLETE    MOTORIST 

complete  car  a  very  critical  mind,  the  expression  of  which  must 
have  been  of  the  highest  service  to  the  builders.  In  dealing 
with  the  car  in  detail  I  will  divide  the  description  under  six 
heads  : — 

Engine.  Frame. 

Carburettor.  Brakes. 

Gear.  General  Points. 

Engine.  —  The  engine  is  of  a  very  neat  appearance,  and 
every  part  is  easily  accessible.  It  is  composed  of  four  cylinders, 
which,  in  accordance  with  the  best  modern  practice,  are  cast  in 
pairs.  The  horse-power  claimed  for  the  engine  by  the  makers 
is  22  h.p.,  but  actually  it  develops  approximately  28  b.h.p.  at  a 
speed  of  900  revolutions  a  minute.  The  engine  is  arranged 
with  mechanically  operated  inlet  valves  placed  on  the  opposite 
side  and  worked  by  a  different  cam  shaft  from  the  exhaust  valves. 
Magneto  ignition  of  the  Simms-Bosch  type  is  fitted,  and  the 
ignition  plates  are  arranged  in  the  form  of  inlet  valve  covers 
forming  the  inspection  plates  above  the  inlet  valves.  Plugs 
are  arranged  in  the  side  of  the  cylinders  for  the  fitting  of  high- 
tension  ignition  should  it  be  so  desired,  the  commutator  for 
this  purpose  being  fitted  on  the  rear  end  of  the  engine  close 
to  the  fly-wheel.  Magneto  ignition,  however,  is  the  standard 
ignition  fitted. 

The  bore  of  the  cylinders  is  \\  inches  and  the  stroke  5^  inches. 
The  cylinders  themselves  are  constructed  of  cast-iron  of  a 
quality  specially  selected  by  Messrs.  Crossley,  the  cast-iron 
being  of  a  harder  quality  than  that  generally  employed.  The 
pistons  are  also  of  the  same  metal ;  and  the  engine  is  bored, 
turned,  and  faced  up  in  special  jigs,  so  that  absolute  accuracy 
of  every  part  is  ensured  ;  and  all  the  machinery  is  true  to  the 
thousandth  part  of  an  inch.  Absolute  interchangeability  of 
cylinder  castings  on  any  engine,  and  of  all  the  fittings  on  each 
casting,  are  thus  assured.  The  bearings  throughout  the  engine 
are  very  long  and  are  of  a  special  bronze  alloy.  The  bearings 
are  ring  lubricated,  and  any  possibility  of  scoring  is  done  away 
with. 

The  crank  chamber  is  constructed  with  ducts  which  lead  the 
splashed  oil  back  again  to  the  bearings.  The  crank  shaft  itself 
is  mounted  on  three  long  bronze  alloy  bearings.     The  main 


CROSSLEY  22-H  P.   ENGINE 


SOME   TYPES   OF   PETROL   CAR  73 

bearing  on  the  fly-wheel  end  of  the  engine  is  so  constructed  as 
to  prevent  any  oil  getting  out  on  to  the  fly-wheel.  Liners  acting 
as  register  rings  are  introduced  between  the  crank  chamber 
and  cylinders,  and  these  are  so  arranged  as  to  prevent  an  ex- 
cessive quantity  of  oil  being  splashed  up  on  to  the  pistons. 
The  crank  shaft  itself  is  made  of  the  finest  nickel  steel,  as  are 
the  cam  shafts  and  the  cams,  rollers,  gudgeon  pins,  and  inlet 
valves ;  the  finest  wearing  surface  possible  in  connection  with 
these  very  vital  parts  is  thus  obtained. 

The  exhaust  valves  are  peculiar,  inasmuch  as  they  are  com- 
posed, not  of  steel,  but  of  a  very  hard  special  bronze — much 
harder,  in  fact,  than  ordinary  crucible  steel.  This  bronze  will 
stand  a  very  high  temperature  and  always  remains  clean  be- 
cause carbon  will  not  adhere  to  it.  This  alloy  is  made  by  the 
firm  themselves,  and  its  composition  is  kept  secret. 

All  the  gear  wheels  which  operate  the  cam  shafts  are  en- 
closed, as  are  the  cams  also,  and  lubricated  from  the  crank 
chamber.  The  governor  is  arranged  on  the  front  end  of  the 
inlet  cam  shaft  inside  the  gear  wheel.  A  novel  detail  in  design 
in  connection  with  the  studs  and  nuts  on  the  engine  has  been 
adopted  throughout,  and  all  studs  and  nuts  have  a  special 
thread  very  much  stronger  than  usual  and  less  likely  to  strip. 
The  studs  are  square  between  the  threads,  and  the  holes  in  the 
flanges  which  fit  on  to  the  studs  are  also  square.  It  is  thus 
impossible  to  screw  a  stud  out  of  the  casting  when  the  nut  has 
been  previously  tightened  up  very  hard,  and  any  risk  of  breaking 
a  stud  in  the  casting  (a  common  complaint)  is  practically 
done  away  with.  Castellated  nuts  are  used  throughout,  with 
split  pins,  so  that  everything  is  kept  tight  no  matter  what  the 
road  vibration  may  be.  The  inspection  covers  above  the  valves 
are  also  fitted  with  the  studs  squared  between  the  threads, 
and  the  flanged  portion  of  the  casings  do  not  actually  come 
into  contact  with  the  cylinder  casting.  They  are  arranged 
with  valve-shaped  seatings  beneath,  which  make  a  metal-to- 
metal  joint.  There  is,  therefore,  no  necessity  for  the  use  of 
copper  and  asbestos  washers,  which  are  unmechanical  and  in- 
effective. 

The  magneto  is  mounted  on  the  upper  crank  chamber  casting, 
and  is  driven  by  a  gear  wheel  in  the  same  casing  as  the  gear 
wheel  which  drives  the  inlet  valve  shaft.     An  insulated  rod  is 


74  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

fixed  to  the  top  of  the  cylinders,  and  the  current  is  carried 
from  the  magneto  to  this  rod,  which  has  four  separate  switches 
for  making  connection  with  the  igniters  to  each  of  the  cylinders. 
By  this  device  it  is  possible  to  test  each  cylinder  of  the  engine 
separately  as  to  its  power  and  regularity.  The  igniters  are 
operated  by  disc  cams  on  the  cam  shaft  by  vertical  rocking 
levers,  and  the  timing  of  the  ignition  is  varied  by  raising  or 
lowering  these  rods.  The  magneto  itself  is  geared  up  very 
high  in  order  to  secure  a  good  spark  even  at  the  lowest  speed 
of  the  engine. 

The  very  important  point  of  water  circulation  has  received 
special  care  and  attention  in  the  Crossley  car.  The  pump,  of 
the  centrifugal  type,  is  very  large,  and  is  fixed  on  to  the  crank 
chamber  at  the  left  side  of  the  engine,  and  is  gear  driven  from 
the  exhaust  cam  shaft.  The  pump  runs  very  fast,  and  has  a 
large  and  effective  stuffing-box,  which  can  be  easily  got  out 
when  repacking  is  necessary.  A  very  full  and  free  flow  of 
water  through  the  engine  is  secured  by  the  pipes  being  so 
arranged  that  the  water  enters  each  pair  of  cylinders  simul- 
taneously, and  an  even  temperature  of  all  four  cylinders  is 
maintained.  From  the  cylinders  the  water  is  conducted  to  the 
top  of  the  radiator,  which  is  of  the  honeycomb  type.  For  the 
purposes  of  cooling  the  water  in  the  radiator  a  fan  is  used. 
The  fan  spindle  is  mounted  on  ball  bearings,  and  is  pivoted  in 
such  a  way  on  to  the  engine  that  by  releasing  two  nuts  the  belt 
on  the  pulley  (the  pulley  is  driven  by  the  exhaust  cam  shaft) 
can  be  tightened  or  slackened  at  will,  and  need  not  be  taken 
off — a  troublesome  detail  that  causes  complaint  from  the  owners 
of  many  cars.  In  all  the  details  of  the  engine — even  down  to 
the  fitting  of  the  exhaust  pipes — the  utmost  care  can  be  dis- 
cerned in  design  and  construction,  and  even  the  brass  fittings 
on  the  motor  are  evidence  of  this.  As  a  last  feature  in  con- 
nection with  the  engine  itself,  the  fly-wheel  should  be  mentioned. 
This  is  much  heavier  than  usual,  which  means  steadiness  of 
running,  and  makes  it  possible  also  to  run  the  engine  at  an 
exceedingly  slow  speed. 

Carburettor. — The  carburettor,  although  part  of  the  engine, 
deserves  a  section  to  itself  in  view  of  its  exceedingly  novel  and 
ingenious  construction.  Many  devices  have  been  tried  to  secure 
an  automatic  action  in  connection  with  the  gaseous  mixture. 


CLUTCH    AND    FLYWHEEL   OF   THE   CROS.SLEY    22-H.P.    ENGINE 


SOME   TYPES   OF   PETROL   CAR  75 

It  was  discovered  that  as  the  engine  speed  decreased  and  the 
suction  of  the  petrol  decreased  accordingly,  it  was  necessary  to 
decrease  the  quantity  of  air  in  proportion  if  one  wished  to 
keep  the  mixture  at  all  constant,  otherwise,  when  the  engine 
was  reduced  to  a  very  slow  speed,  the  imperfect  mixture  pre- 
vented proper  combustion  and  thus  immediately  stopped  the 
motor.  The  Krebs  carburettor  on  the  Panhard  cars  proved  in 
a  very  convincing  manner  what  an  extraordinary  difference 
could  be  made  in  the  running  of  the  engine  when  it  was  possible 
automatically  to  govern  the  quantity  of  air  going  into  the  car- 
burettor according  to  the  speed  of  the  engine.  Krebs,  however, 
used  a  spring,  the  strength  of  which  was  overcome  by  the 
suction  from  the  engine  when  the  engine  attained  a  certain 
speed,  and  this  action  opening  a  port  gave  an  increased  quantity 
of  air  to  the  carburettor.  Other  devices  have  been  tried,  Napier 
using  water  pressure  to  do  the  same  thing.  The  objections  to 
these  two  methods  are,  in  the  first  case,  that  a  spring  is  a 
variable  quantity  and  is  affected  by  varying  temperature ;  and 
in  the  second  that  the  varying  water  pressure  is  slow  in  action, 
and  in  the  event  of  derangement  of  the  water  circulation  the 
vitality  of  the  engine  is  seriously  affected. 

The  carburettor  on  the  Crossley  car,  which,  it  is  claimed, 
avoids  both  these  defects,  is  the  invention  of  an  American,  and 
Messrs.  Crossley  have  the  right  of  manufacturing  it  under  the 
English  patent.  In  order  to  make  the  explanation  clear,  I 
would  repeat  that  the  point  aimed  at  is  to  secure  to  the  engine 
an  increased  volume  of  air  as  the  engine  speed  increases,  and 
to  reduce  the  quantity  of  air  as  the  engine  speed  decreases. 

The  construction  of  the  Crossley  carburettor  is  briefly  as 
follows  :  The  ordinary  type  of  float  with  needle  and  weighted 
arms  is  employed  to  secure  a  constant  level  of  petrol.  As  the 
petrol  enters  this  vessel  the  actual  float  enclosed  in  the  chamber 
is  raised  and  acts  on  two  pivoted  arms,  which  in  turn  are  forced 
up  and  close  the  needle  valve  to  prevent  further  petrol  entering. 
As  the  petrol  is  sucked  out  of  the  jet  with  which  this  chamber 
is  connected,  it  is  replenished  automatically  by  the  descent  of 
the  float  allowing  more  spirit  to  come  in.  The  petrol  supply  to 
this  chamber  comes  direct  from  the  tank,  and  it  can  be  shut 
off  at  two  points  with  special  taps  which  are  held  into  their 
ground  seatings  by  springs.     Before  it  enters  it  has  to  pass 


76  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

through  a  small  chamber  in  which  gauzes  are  fitted,  which 
prevent  any  dirt,  oil,  or  foreign  matter  entering  the  float 
chamber  and  impeding  its  action.  This  chamber  is  fitted  with 
a  tap  at  the  bottom  to  enable  the  petrol  to  be  run  off  if 
necessary.  From  the  float  chamber  the  petrol  is  conveyed  to 
the  jet,  which  is  in  direct  communication  with  the  induction 
pipe  to  the  four  cylinders.  The  level  of  the  oil  in  the  jet  is 
governed  by  the  float  chamber  previously  described.  As  the 
piston  descends  to  take  in  a  charge  of  gas  a  vacuum  is  formed 
in  the  induction  pipe,  and  thus  the  petrol  is  sucked  out  of  the 
jet,  and  air  is  drawn  through  the  orifice  provided  for  the  purpose, 
and  the  mixed  gas  passes  into  the  cylinder. 

So  far,  except  in  details  of  finish,  I  think  there  is  practically 
nothing  new  in  the  carburettor,  and  the  experience  obtained  in 
connection  with  other  types  seems  to  have  been  freely  employed 
in  settling  the  dimensions.  Its  novel  and  effective  qualities,  how- 
ever, are  found  in  connection  with  the  auxiliary  air  supply,  the 
necessity  for  which  has  been  explained.  Attached  to  the  car- 
burettor is  an  iron  chamber,  and  in  this  chamber  is  placed 
a  quantity  of  mercury,  the  particular  advantage  of  which  is  its 
extreme  weight.  On  the  top  of  the  mercury  is  placed  a  thin 
film  of  glycerine,  which  prevents  the  mercury  oxidising  or 
"  creeping."  On  the  top  of  the  mercury  is  placed  a  lignum- 
vitae  float,  to  which  is  attached  a  spindle  that  passes  through 
the  top  of  the  chamber.  In  addition,  a  small  hole  in  the 
chamber  is  connected  up  by  a  small  pipe  to  another  orifice  which 
is  situated  close  to  the  petrol  jet  before  mentioned. 

It  will  be  understood,  then,  that  as  the  air  is  sucked  up  the 
induction  pipe  a  considerable  quantity  of  air  is  also  taken  from 
the  orifice  in  question,  and  that  a  vacuum  is  thus  formed  in  the 
chamber  described,  which  holds  the  mercury  and  float.  It  may 
be  mentioned  that  the  float  itself  and  the  mercury  on  which 
it  rests  are  situated  in  a  separate  cylinder  inside  this  chamber, 
and  the  suction  of  air  takes  place  in  this  separate  cylinder.  As 
soon  as  the  vacuum  is  formed,  the  weight  of  the  mercury  in  the 
outside  chamber  immediately  forces  up  the  mercury  in  the 
inside  chamber  with  which  it  is  connected,  and  fills  the  vacuum  ; 
and  as  it  rises  it,  of  course,  raises  the  glycerine  and  the  lignum- 
vitae  float  resting  on  it,  thus  raising  up  the  spindle. 

On  the  other  end  of  the  spindle  is  arranged   an   ordinary 


SOME   TYPES   OF   PETROL   CAR  77 

perforated  slide.  As  this  slide  is  raised  or  lowered  more  or  less 
air  is  allowed  to  come  in.  It  will  be  understood  that  the 
increased  speed  of  the  engine  creates  a  stronger  suction,  and 
thus  the  float  with  the  spindle  attached  is  raised  higher  in  the 
metal  chamber  and  the  air  port  is  opened  wide.  As  the  engine 
speed  decreases  the  float  is  raised  less  high  and  less  air  is 
admitted  through  the  port ;  so  that  no  matter  what  the  speed 
of  the  engine  may  be,  the  regulation  of  air  is  absolutely  and 
positively  automatic.  If  the  engine  is  run  slowly  the  suction  is 
small,  the  spindle  is  raised  but  little,  and  a  very  small  amount 
of  auxiliary  air  is  drawn  in.  If  the  engine  is  run  fast  the  suction 
is  great,  the  float  is  raised  to  its  highest  point,  and  the  spindle 
opens  the  port  to  its  fullest  extent,  and  thus  the  increased 
proportion  of  air  for  the  speed  of  the  engine  is  automatically 
given.  By  this  means  it  is  possible  to  keep  the  mixture 
constant  even  at  as  low  an  engine  speed  as  a  hundred  turns 
a  minute,  and  at  the  same  time  making  it  possible  to  run  the 
engine  up  to  2,000  turns  a  minute,  the  variation  of  air  being 
automatic. 

The  carburettor  has,  in  addition  to  the  points  mentioned, 
a  slide  throttle  which  is  operated  by  hand,  and  also  from  the 
governor.  The  engine  can  be  set  to  "  govern  out,"  if  that  is 
desired  ;  or  it  can  be  set  to  run  steadily  at  a  regular  speed 
by  the  throttle  being  fixed  in  a  certain  position  by  means  of  a 
lever  on  the  steering  wheel.  The  throttle  governs  the  orifice  at 
the  bottom  of  the  induction  pipe,  and  allows  a  smaller  or  larger 
amount  of  gas  to  enter  the  engine  according  to  the  position 
in  which  it  is  set.  If  it  is  desired  that  the  engine  run  very 
slowly  and  evenly,  the  throttle  is  nearly  closed.  If  full  power 
is  required,  it  is  pulled  wide  open,  and  the  full  quantity  of  gas  is 
allowed  to  enter  the  cylinders.  The  whole  construction  of  the 
carburettor  is  arranged  in  a  very  neat  form,  and  no  less  than 
fourteen  jigs  are  employed  in  its  construction.  Every  part  is 
interchangeable,  and  it  is  so  made  that  it  can  easily  be  taken 
down  and  every  piece  taken  apart  and  put  together  again — 
although  the  desirability  of  doing  this  is  to  be  questioned, 
especially  as  there  appears  to  be  nothing  that  will  give  any 
trouble  or  get  out  of  order  in  its  composition.  Castellated  nuts 
hold  the  various  parts  together.  The  air  orifices  are  covered 
with  gauze  to  prevent  mud  and  dust  entering,  and  every  little 


78  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

detail  where  trouble  might  be  expected  appears  to  have  been 
carefully  thought  out  and  guarded  against.  To  prevent  the 
mercury  splashing  about  in  the  outer  chamber  of  the  metal 
compartment  above  mentioned,  steel  balls  are  arranged  to 
float  upon  its  surface,  and  a  small  air  vent  is  also  provided. 
This  carburettor  is  partly  the  reason  of  the  extreme  flexibility 
of  the  Crossley  engine,  and  also  the  reason  of  its  great  silence ; 
for  by  its  means  it  is  possible  to  run  the  engine  at  such  a 
slow  speed  as  would  be  impossible  with  the  ordinary  type  of 
carburettor. 

Gear. — In  looking  carefully  at  the  change-speed  gear  on  the 
Crossley  car  I  was  conscious  of  having  seen  it  before ;  and 
presently  recognised  it  as  being  in  principle  similar  to  the 
gear  on  the  Mors  cars  which  performed  so  well  in  the  Paris- 
Madrid  race  of  1903.  The  important  feature  in  connection 
with  the  gear  is  the  fact  that  a  direct  drive  is  arranged  on  the 
top  speed,  thus  securing  an  important  elimination  of  friction. 
The  two  gear  shafts  are  placed  side  by  side,  and  make  possible 
the  use  of  a  broad,  flat  gear-box.  This  gear-box  has  a  long 
arm  on  each  side,  which  is  bolted  on  to  the  steel  frame  of  the 
car,  and  on  the  rear  end  of  the  gear-box  (and  forming  part  of 
the  casting)  are  two  brackets,  which  are  also  bolted  on  to  a  steel 
cross-stay  in  the  frame — an  absolutely  rigid  suspension.  The 
gear-box  itself  is  of  aluminium,  is  beautifully  cast,  and  seems  a 
splendid  piece  of  work.  Four  speeds  and  a  reverse  are  fitted, 
the  gears  being  of  the  sliding  type.  All  the  gears,  including 
the  reverse,  are  operated  by  a  single-speed  lever  placed  at  the 
right-hand  side  of  the  driver.  The  top  gear,  however,  is  not 
obtained  by  putting  the  two  gear-wheels  in  mesh  in  the 
ordinary  way.  In  the  first,  second,  and  third  speeds,  and 
reverse  the  secondary  shaft  drives  the  bevel  gear  placed  at  the 
rear  end  of  the  gear-box,  which  in  turn  rotates  the  counter-shaft. 
For  the  obtaining  of  the  fourth  speed,  however,  the  secondary 
shaft  is  dispensed  with,  and  a  jaw-type  clutch,  fitted  to  the  side 
of  the  third-speed  gear,  but  of  a  much  smaller  diameter,  engages 
and  operates  a  second  bevel  arranged  by  the  side  of  the  bevel 
operated  by  the  secondary  shaft.  Thus  a  direct  drive  on  the 
top  gear  is  obtained  straight  through  from  the  engine  to  the 
cross  shaft.  Of  course,  when  the  top  gear  is  engaged,  none  of 
the  other  gears  are  in  mesh,  although  they  rotate.     A  special 


SOME   TYPES   OF   PETROL   CAR  79 

grade  of  steel  is  used  for  the  shafts  and  for  the  gear  wheels, 
which  are  ground  true  after  being  hardened.  Here  also  all  the 
bearings  are  ring  lubricated,  and  are  specially  long ;  and  ball- 
thrust  bearings  in  cages  are  fitted  to  take  the  end  strains 
imposed  by  the  bevel  wheels.  Although  the  gear-box  in  itself 
is  rigidly  fixed  to  the  main  frame,  the  clutch  shaft  which 
operates  the  gear  of  the  counter-shaft  (which  in  turn  gives  the 
motion  to  the  road  wheels)  is  arranged  with  flexible  couplings. 
A  special  flexible  jaw  coupling  is  introduced  between  the 
clutch  and  the  front  end  of  the  gear-box,  and  similar  couplings 
are  fitted  in  each  half  of  the  differential  counter-shaft,  so  that 
no  matter  what  the  twisting  strain  may  be  on  the  frame,  owing 
to  bad  roads  or  any  shocks  the  car  may  receive,  or  any  straining 
of  the  frame,  it  cannot  possibly  affect  the  position  of  the  gear- 
box. Perfect  alignment  is  thus  secured  for  all  the  bearings  of 
both  the  gear-box  and  the  engine,  while  at  the  same  time  it 
permits  the  male  portion  of  the  clutch  always  to  be  dead  true. 
The  differential  gear  is  enclosed  in  the  gear-box,  and  so  secures 
efficient  splash  lubrication.  It  is  of  a  heavy  and  strong  type, 
all  wheels  being  hardened  and  then  ground  true. 

The  clutch  is  of  the  expanding  type,  and  is  arranged  inside 
the  fly-wheel,  has  a  metal-to-metal  surface,  cast-iron  on  cast- 
iron,  and  is  so  arranged  as  to  prevent  dust  and  mud  from 
entering  it.  The  shoe  pieces  of  the  clutch  are  expanded  by 
means  of  an  adjustable  spring,  and  arrangement  is  made  by 
which  any  wear  can  be  taken  up  when  required.  When  it  is 
required  to  disengage  the  clutch,  the  action  of  the  pedal  acts 
against  the  spring,  and  the  shoes  cease  to  press  against  the 
female  portion  of  the  clutch.  The  ends  of  the  counter-shaft  are 
both  carried  in  ball  bearings  arranged  close  to  the  sprocket 
wheels  which  drive  the  road  wheels  by  means  of  chains.  There 
appears  to  be  a  considerable  advantage  in  having  the  two  shafts 
in  the  gear-box  side  by  side  instead  of  one  above  the  other,  for 
by  this  means  it  is  possible,  by  unscrewing  six  bolts  and  taking 
off  the  large  lid  of  the  gear-box,  to  inspect  any  part  of  the  gear 
should  it  be  so  desired,  and  to  examine  it  in  detail.  Simplicity 
has  been  observed  all  through  in  the  construction  of  the  gear, 
while  at  the  same  time  the  effective  top  drive  is  secured  ;  and 
the  experience  gained  in  this  connection  by  one  of  the  best- 
known    Continental  constructors   is   taken    full   advantage   of. 


80  THE   COMPLETE    MOTORIST 

The  four  gears  on  the  standard  car  represent  nominal  speeds  of 
about  ten,  twenty,  thirty-three,  and  forty-five  miles  per  hour 
respectively. 

Frame. — The  frame  is  of  pressed  steel  and  specially  rolled, 
tapering  towards  the  front  in  the  form  of  hangers  to  carry  the 
front  springs,  and  in  the  rear  to  carry  a  curved  hanger  support- 
ing in  its  turn  one  of  the  ends  of  the  rear  spring.  The  corners 
of  the  frame  are  stiffened  internally  with  angle  pieces,  and 
extreme  rigidity  is  secured,  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  main 
supports  of  the  engine  itself  are  bolted  on  to  the  frame  in  front 
of  the  car.  Two  circular  solid  stays  are  carried  across  the  frame 
in  the  centre  for  the  purpose  of  holding  levers  for  operating  the 
brakes  and  clutch,  and  at  the  rear  end  of  the  gear-box  another 
strong  square  steel  stay  is  fitted.  The  length  of  the  frame  itself 
from  point  to  point  is  1 1  feet  1 1  inches,  from  the  front  portion 
of  frame  to  the  radiator,  i  foot  4  inches,  from  the  radiator  to 
the  dashboard,  2  feet  10  inches,  and  from  the  dashboard  to  the 
rear  end  of  the  frame,  6  feet  \o\  inches,  the  width  being  33I  inches. 

The  main  axles,  both  front  and  back,  are  of  H  section  and 
exceedingly  strong.  The  road  wheels  run  on  plain  bearings, 
as  it  has  been  considered  by  the  constructors  that  in  view  of 
the  shocks  which  the  road  wheels  have  to  stand,  ball  bearings 
tend  to  give  trouble  without  in  themselves  being  an  appreciable 
advantage.  The  frame  is  connected  to  the  axles  by  four  springs, 
very  wide  and  strong.  The  chief  feature  to  be  noticed  in  the 
springs  is  their  great  length,  which  secures  an  easy  swing  to 
the  car  even  on  the  roughest  roads ;  and  there  is  a  complete 
absence  of  that  road  vibration  which  is  so  tiring,  especially  on 
a  long  ride.  The  length  of  the  car  and  the  length  of  the 
springs  ensure  comfortable  riding,  and  no  doubt  will  have  much 
to  do  with  the  life  and  absence  of  wear  and  tear  on  the  car. 
The  rear  springs  are  set  out  from  under  the  frame,  so  that 
bumping  and  jolting  through  the  springs  shutting  up  on  bad 
ground  is  entirely  done  away  with,  and  at  the  same  time  the 
necessity  for  using  very  stiff  springs  is  avoided.  The  length 
of  the  wheel-base  itself,  from  the  axle  caps  of  the  back  wheels 
to  the  axle  caps  of  the  front  wheels,  is  8  feet  5  inches,  and  the 
width  from  centre  of  tyre  to  centre  of  tyre  4  feet  g\  inches. 
I  do  not  think  this  question  of  comfortable  suspension  of  an 
automobile  has  received  the  attention  it  should  have  received. 


SOME   TYPES   OF   PETROL   CAR  81 

Where  long  journeys  are  made  and  big  distances  covered, 
comfort  and  easy  riding  are  an  absolute  necessity,  and  it  is 
interesting  to  note  how  this  point  has  been  appreciated  in  the 
design  and  construction  of  the  Crossley.  I  think  the  designers 
of  cars  must  always  ride  in  front,  and  never  in  the  tonneau ;  if 
they  did  they  would  have  more  mercy  on  its  occupants. 

The  chains  employed  to  transmit  the  power  from  the  sprocket 
wheels  to  the  road  wheels  are  of  the  well-known  Hans  Renold 
make,  and  of  the  roller  type.  In  this  connection  the  radius 
rods  fitted  between  the  sprocket  bearing  and  the  road  wheels 
are  interesting.  These  are  not  only  of  strong  and  graceful 
construction,  but  are  fitted  with  large  adjustment  nuts  of  bronze, 
so  that  there  is  no  possibility  of  their  rusting  and  creating 
another  difficulty  on  the  road.  The  importance  of  this  little 
point  can  be  appreciated  by  all  those  who  have  endeavoured 
to  slacken  out  or  tighten  up  an  ordinary  radius  rod  on  a  car 
when  this  has  not  been  touched  for  some  time.  It  is  almost 
always  found  to  be  clogged  up  with  paint  and  rust,  so  that  it 
is  almost  impossible  to  move  it. 

The  road  wheels  themselves,  which  are  of  the  artillery  type, 
are  built  of  acacia  wood,  of  the  same  quality  as  that  used  in 
the  wheels  of  most  Continental  racing  cars.  The  back  wheels 
have  twelve  spokes  and  the  front  wheels  ten.  The  back  wheels 
are,  however,  stayed  by  a  steel  band  of  about  1 2  inches  diameter, 
which  is  fitted  round  the  hubs  and  bolted  through  the  spokes. 
The  sizes  of  the  wheels  are  36  inches,  having  on  the  front 
3A-inch  pneumatic  tyres  and  on  the  back  5 -inch  tyres. 

Brakes. — It  is  interesting  to  notice  how  manufacturers  have 
come  to  the  general  adoption  of  expanding  brakes.  The 
Mercedes  set  the  fashion  in  this  direction,  and  apparently 
everyone  is  following  in  its  lead.  The  advantages  are  con- 
siderable. With  the  old-fashioned  type  of  brake,  in  which  a 
band  contracts  over  a  drum,  one  of  the  difiRculties  is  to  attach 
it  in  such  a  way  as  to  prevent  it  from  rattling.  Many  devices 
have  been  adopted,  but  absolute  silence  has  hardly  ever  been 
secured.  With  the  expanding  type  of  brake,  which  has  to  be 
fitted  inside  the  road  wheels  and  attached  to  the  back  axle, 
this  difficulty  is  easily  overcome.  The  action  of  the  brakes 
is  through  levers,  which  force  out  the  shoes  that  grip  on  to  the 
inner  surface  of  the  brake  drum.     The  whole  of  the  brake  is 


82  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

covered  in  and  protected  from  oil,  mud,  and  dust,  and  the  cover 
is  of  such  a  form  as  to  allow  of  easy  detachment,  so  that  the 
shoes  can  be  replaced  or  adjusted  whenever  necessary.  This 
type  of  brake  is  the  one  which  has  been  adopted  on  the  Crossley 
car ;  one  is  fitted  to  each  of  the  rear  road  wheels,  and  an  equal 
pull  on  each  of  the  brakes  is  secured  by  a  flexible  steel  cord. 
One  of  the  levers  operating  the  brakes  is  fitted  with  a  right- 
and  left-hand  nut  to  enable  the  brakes  to  be  tightened  up  if 
necessary.  The  foot  brake  is  operated  by  the  left-hand  pedal 
in  front  of  the  driver,  and  acts  upon  the  counter-shaft.  This 
brake  is  also  metal  to  metal. 

General  points. — The  steering  on  the  car  is  of  an  exceedingly 
strong  character,  and  has  received  special  attention.  In  appear- 
ance it  looks  so  unusually  stout  and  solid  that  it  seems 
impossible  for  it  ever  to  give  the  slightest  trouble.  Ball  joints 
fitted  into  specially  hardened  ground  sockets  are  arranged  at 
the  point  of  contact  on  the  levers,  and  very  strong  and  stiff 
compression  springs  effectually  prevent  any  possibility  of 
"  backlash."  The  steering  gear  is  irreversible,  and  has  ball-thrust 
bearings  arranged  on  either  side  of  the  worm  gear.  The  front 
steering  lever  rests  on  the  ball  joints  instead  of  being  held  up 
by  means  of  them — thus  effectually  preventing  any  possibility 
of  this  important  lever  being  disconnected.  The  steering  pillar 
itself  is  of  stout  diameter  and  is  hollow,  so  that  a  small  steel 
rod  and  a  tube  surrounding  it  can  pass  down  the  centre.  To 
this  rod  and  tube  two  small  hand  levers  are  fitted,  which  are 
moved  over  a  semicircular  rack  above  the  steering  wheel.  One 
of  these  levers  fixes  the  position  of  the  throttle  in  the  car- 
burettor previously  referred  to,  and  the  other  controls  the 
ignition.  The  rod  and  tube  at  their  lower  ends  are  attached 
to  levers  to  control  the  •'.hrottle  and  timing  of  the  magneto 
shaft.  In  conjunction  with  the  hand  lever  on  the  steering 
wheel  throttling  the  mixture  a  small  foot  accelerator  pedal 
is  also  fitted,  which  operates  on  the  throttle  and  makes  the 
car  extremely  handy  and  easy  to  drive  in  traffic.  Its  effect 
when  depressed  is  to  open  the  throttle  wide,  and  when  released 
the  throttle  returns  to  the  position  to  which  it  has  been  pre- 
viously set  by  the  lever  on  the  steering  wheel.  Thus  it  is 
possible  immediately  to  open  the  throttle  wide  without  tak- 
ing  either   hand    from    the   steering   wheel ;    and    as    soon    as 


SOME   TYPES   OF   PETROL   CAR  83 

the  pedal  is  released  the  engine  slows  down  to  its  set  slow 
speed. 

For  the  purpose  of  lubrication  a  neat  metal  cylinder  is 
attached  to  the  frame  on  the  left-hand  side,  and  this  cylinder 
is  connected  to  one  of  the  exhaust  pipes  on  the  engine.  The 
pressure  from  the  exhaust  is  thus  used  to  forcing  the  oil  up 
to  the  sight  feed  of  the  lubricators  on  the  dashboard.  A 
separate  sight  feed  is  arranged  for  every  bearing,  and  the 
lubricating  oil  is  carried  along  to  the  four  pistons,  crank 
chamber,  front  bearings  of  the  front  gear  shafts,  and  two 
bearings  in  the  gear-box  of  the  counter-shaft,  separate  lubri- 
cators being  arranged  for  the  pump  and  clutch.  Every  bearing 
on  the  Crossley  car,  however  small,  is  provided  with  an  oil-cup. 
This  ensures  that  each  of  these  parts  are  lubricated,  and  secures 
to  the  car  very  easy  and  smooth  running,  every  part  working 
sweetly.  In  connection  with  the  sight-feed  lubricator  an  im- 
portant improvement  is  arranged  whereby  hot  water,  which  is 
connected  up  to  the  sight  feed,  circulates  from  the  engine  round 
the  lubricating  oil,  and  thus  even  in  the  coldest  weather  ensures 
the  free  running  of  the  oil.  All  motorists  are  aware  how 
difficult  it  is  on  a  cold  winter's  day  to  keep  lubricating  oil 
running  freely,  and  therefore  this  point  on  the  Crossley  is 
certainly  an  improvement. 

The  floor  board  in  front  of  the  driver  is  sloped  up  towards 
the  dashboard  in  an  easy  position  for  the  feet.  Two  flat  pedals 
are  arranged,  one  on  each  side  of  the  steering  pillar.  By 
pushing  out  the  left-hand  pedal  the  clutch  is  withdrawn,  and 
the  right-hand  pedal  operates  the  band  brake  on  the  cross  shaft 
previously  described.  The  steering  pillar  itself  is  raked  to  a 
position  which,  from  a  driving  point  of  view,  might  be  correctly 
termed  "  luxurious,"  that  is  to  say,  it  is  possible  to  sit  well  back 
in  a  comfortable  seat  and  yet  have  full  control  of  the  car.  The 
two  levers  on  the  steering  wheel  operating  the  gas  and  igni- 
tion, together  with  the  accelerator  pedal  mentioned  above, 
are  practically  the  only  things  that  need  to  be  manipulated 
to  vary  the  speed  of  the  car.  With  powerful  brakes  and  a 
flexible  engine  the  car  can  be  started  and  run  on  the  top  gear 
even  in  the  thick  of  traffic.  In  sitting  on  the  car,  one  cannot 
help  noticing  the  extraordinary  flexibility  of  control  of  the 
engine.     By  opening  the  control  levers  the  speed  can  be  varied 


84  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

from  six  to  forty  miles  an  hour  without  changing  gear.  Indeed, 
I  can  hardly  speak  too  highly  of  the  behaviour  of  the  car  while 
running  on  hilly  roads,  so  far  as  my  personal  experience  of  it 
goes.  Knowing  how  extreme  were  the  pretensions  of  the 
makers  and  designers,  I  confess  that  I  looked  out  very  sharply 
for  some  fault  of  behaviour,  if  only  in  detail.  But  I  was  unable 
to  find  any.  Carburettor,  ignition,  valve-gear,  and  transmission 
all  worked  with  the  inevitable  and  monotonous  precision  of  a 
good  watch  ;  there  was  nothing  that  seemed  even  likely  to  give 
trouble.  With  four  passengers  up,  the  car  climbed  a  hill  of  i 
in  8  on  its  third  speed  ;  on  the  level  it  was  possible  to  run  it  far 
faster  than  the  nature  of  even  a  good  English  road  made  desir- 
able ;  while  in  traffic,  and  throttled  down,  the  engine  still  ran 
steady  and  cool,  and,  above  all,  silent. 

The  lines  of  the  complete  chassis,  as  viewed  in  the  light 
of  up-to-date  automobile  fashion,  are  good.  The  rake  of  the 
steering  wheel,  the  strong  and  solid  construction  of  the  brake 
and  speed  levers,  and  the  stout  lines  of  the  frame  and  strength 
of  the  wheels,  all  tend  to  give  one  the  impression  of  a  car 
strong  and  powerful,  fast  but  yet  controllable,  neat  and  work- 
manlike— in  fact,  a  real  modern  road-carriage,  complete  and 
compact,  with  every  small  detail  carefully  thought  out,  with 
every  possible  trouble  apparently  provided  for,  the  convenience 
of  the  driver  studied,  and  the  comfort  of  the  passengers  secured. 
In  the  course  of  time  I  hope  th^  Messrs.  Crossley  will  be  in 
the  position  of  being  able  to  turn  out  and  manufacture  them- 
selves every  small  detail  and  part  of  the  car.  At  present  they 
have  been  driven  to  avail  themselves  of  the  resources  of  other 
manufacturers  who  have  made  specialities  of  certain  parts  on 
the  chassis.  The  best  has  in  this  way  been  secured ;  but 
when  it  is  possible  for  the  Crossleys  themselves  to  make  every 
part,  the  British  automobile  industry  will  almost  certainly 
have  a  car  worthy  of  its  name,  and  one  that  will  compare 
favourably  in  every  respect  with  the  finest  productions  of  the 
Continent. 


SOME   TYPES   OF   PETROL   CAR  85 

THE   NAPIER   CAR 

The  Napier  cars  have  a  conspicuous  place  in  the  British 
motor  industry.  Although  the  first  Napier  car  was  sold  only 
in  1900,  the  short  time  that  has  elapsed  since  then  has  been  long 
enough  for  these  motor-cars  to  earn  a  high  reputation,  not  only 
at  home  but  abroad.  This  result  seems  to  have  been  due  to 
two  causes — the  excellence  of  the  cars  themselves,  and  the 
brilliant  commercial  energy  with  which  their  sale  has  been 
promoted.  The  whole  Napier  business,  indeed,  both  in  the 
manufacture  of  the  cars  at  the  splendid  Napier  Works,  and  in 
the  selling  of  them  by  Messrs.  S.  F.  Edge,  Limited,  is  a  lesson 
in  organisation  and  commercial  enterprise  to  the  British  motor 
industry,  where  businesslike  methods  and  sound  organisation 
seem  to  be  the  exception  rather  than  the  rule.  The  winning  of 
the  Gordon-Bennett  Cup  by  Mr.  S.  F.  Edge  in  1902  was  a  very 
fortunate  occurrence  both  for  the  Napier  Company  and  for  the 
British  industry  as  a  whole ;  and  as  the  Napier  cars  have  now 
several  rivals  of  their  own  nationality  in  the  racing  world,  it  will 
be  interesting  to  see  if  they  retain  the  advantage  secured  by 
their  longer  experience  in  the  building  of  racing  cars. 

The  Napier  Company  build  their  cars  in  several  standard 
sizes  ;  but  they  build  neither  a  small  nor  a  cheap  car,  the  lowest 
price  for  a  Napier  chassis  alone  being  ;^700,  and  the  highest 
;^3,ooo.  The  four-cylinder  cars  are  made  in  various  sizes,  15, 
24,  45,  and  65  h.p. ;  and  in  addition,  a  six-cylinder  car  has  lately 
been  introduced,  in  which  all  the  most  characteristic  qualities 
of  Napier  construction  are  seen  quite  at  their  best.  The  six- 
cylinder  car  is  made  in  two  sizes,  30  h.p.  and  90  h.p.,  the  last 
being,  of  course,  a  racing  car.  The  30  h.p.  six-cylinder  car, 
which  is  the  one  I  have  selected  for  illustration  and  description, 
has  been  designed  with  a  view  to  producing  the  greatest 
possible  degree  of  luxury  and  simplicity  of  control  that  is 
possible  in  a  petrol  motor-car.  That  is  to  say,  the  complication 
is  all  in  the  manufacture,  and  the  driving  of  the  car  is  simplicity 
itself  I  have  already  mentioned  some  of  the  advantages  of  a 
multiple-cylinder  engine,  and  shown  how,  up  to  a  certain  point, 
an  increase  in  number  of  cylinders  gives  an  increase  in  smooth- 
ness of  running  and  flexibility  of  control.  The  disadvantages 
are  found  in  the  increased  complication  and  expense,  all  the 


86  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

working  gear  of  the  engine  being  reproduced  six  times  as 
against  once  in  the  single-cyhnder  motor.  In  a  carriage  of 
30  h.p.,  costing  i^i,200,  it  may,  however,  be  assumed  that  all 
considerations  of  price  have  been  ignored,  and  that  the  makers 
have  aimed  at  producing,  for  the  limited  number  of  people  who 
are  able  to  pay  for  it,  the  best  and  most  luxurious  that  is 
possible  in  motor-car  construction,  regardless  of  expense.  The 
result  in  this  case  is  a  petrol  motor-car  which  has  much  of  the 
flexibility  of  the  steam  engine,  and  in  which  the  necessity  for 
changing  gear  is  practically  done  away  with,  as  on  the  direct 
drive  the  car  can  be  driven  at  speeds  varying  from  four  to  fifty 
miles  an  hour  by  the  use  of  the  throttle  alone. 

The  general  lines  upon  which  this  car  is  constructed  will  be 
seen  in  the  illustrations.  The  frame,  which  is  of  rolled  steel,  is 
very  much  narrowed  in  front  where  it  carries  the  engine,  and 
this  allows  to  the  steering  wheels  a  very  full  lock.  The  six- 
cylinder  vertical  engine  has  its  cylinders  cast  in  pairs  ;  all  the 
valves  are  mechanically  operated,  the  inlet  valves  being  placed 
exactly  above  the  exhaust  valves.  These  inlet  valves  are  con- 
structed according  to  a  patent  of  Messrs.  Napier  and  Edge,  an 
annular  multiple  seating  being  devised  which  gives  to  any 
diameter  of  valve  a  much  larger  circumferential  opening  than 
is  possible  with  the  ordinary  single-port  valve.  The  engine, 
which  is  entirely  enclosed,  transmits  its  power  through  a  metal- 
to-metal  clutch  which  is  very  sensitive  and  powerful,  and 
although  capable  of  transmitting  40  h.p.,  can  be  thrown  out  of 
action  by  the  pressure  of  a  weight  of  2  lbs.  A  short  universally- 
jointed  shaft  leads  from  the  clutch  to  the  gear-box,  which  is 
comparatively  small  and  light,  and  is  very  neatly  arranged. 
There  is  a  direct  drive  on  the  top  speed,  and  when  this  is  in 
action  none  of  the  intermediate  gear  wheels  are  revolving,  but 
lie  idle.  As  the  car  is  designed  to  be  driven  practically  con- 
tinuously on  the  top  speed,  this  disposition  of  the  speed-gear 
effects  a  great  saving  of  wear.  The  gear  drive  is  to  a  differen- 
tial shaft,  from  which  the  rear  wheels  are  driven  by  means  of 
side  sprockets  and  chains.  Internal  expanding  brakes  are  pro- 
vided on  the  rear  hubs,  and  a  metal-to-metal  brake  on  the 
counter-shaft,  the  latter  being  actuated  by  a  pedal  and  cooled 
by  water  admitted  through  a  tap  on  the  dashboard. 

It  is  in  the  six-cylinder  engine  itself,  however,  that  the  chief 


ti  m 


THE   KAPIER   SVNXHROXISRD   IGXITIOX    DEVICE 


SOME   TYPES   OF   PETROL   CAR  87 

interest  of  this  handsome  car  lies.  Many  makers  have  at- 
tempted to  build  six-cylinder  engines,  but  the  results  have 
nearly  always  been  unsatisfactory  because  of  the  difficulty  of 
timing  the  electric  spark  for  the  explosions  accurately.  One 
reason  for  the  great  smoothness  and  beautiful  balance  of  the 
six-cylinder  engine  is  that  the  explosions  in  successive  cylinders, 
as  it  were,  overlap  one  another,  and  that  the  cycle  of  operations 
begins  again  in  number  one  before  it  is  completed  in  number 
six,  so  that  an  even  and  constant  ripple  of  explosions  is  being 
sent  down  the  line  of  cylinders.  This,  however,  is  only  effective 
so  long  as  the  timing  of  the  electric  sparks  is  absolutely  perfect, 
and  I  think  I  am  right  in  saying  that  it  was  never  possible  until 
Messrs.  Napier  introduced  their  synchronised  ignition.  The 
principle  of  this  ignition  is,  first,  that  only  one  coil  is  used  for 
any  number  of  cylinders.  A  box  containing  the  whole  of  the 
mechanism  is  mounted  on  the  dashboard  and  fitted  with  a  glass 
panel,  through  which  the  driver  can  see  the  whole  of  the  working 
of  the  mechanism.  The  commutator  is  in  the  Napier  system  of 
ignition  really  unnecessary,  although  it  is  retained  on  account  of 
the  economy  it  effects  by  preventing  the  coil  from  trembling 
continuously.  The  action  of  the  high-tension  distributor  as  it 
travels  round  is  to  divert  the  whole  of  the  electric  current 
momentarily  to  the  particular  plug  that  requires  it ;  and  so  in 
turn,  and  in  an  order  accurately  governed  by  the  running  of  the 
engines  themselves,  to  feed  any  number  of  firing  plugs  that  may 
be  used.  Each  cylinder  fires  thus  at  an  absolutely  correct  mo- 
ment in  relation  to  the  one  before  it  and  the  one  after  it,  and 
the  loss  of  power  that  results  from  irregular  firing  and  from  one 
cylinder  lagging  behind  the  other  is  avoided.  This  ingenious 
ignition  arrangement  is  driven  by  gears  from  the  engine  itself. 

The  cooling  of  the  Napier  engine  is  effected  through  a  honey- 
comb radiator  consisting  of  very  thin  tubes,  which  are  rendered 
strong  enough  for  their  purpose  by  a  system  of  fluting  each 
tube  in  four  places.  By  this  means  large  water  spaces  between 
the  tubes  are  created,  and  the  greatest  possible  amount  of  metal 
is  exposed  to  contact  with  the  air  and  with  the  water.  An 
aluminium  fan  mounted  behind  the  radiator  is  driven  by  a  belt. 
A  ball-bearing  pump  provides  for  the  circulation  of  the  water, 
and  this  is  fitted  with  an  ingenious  cut-out  arrangmeent,  so  that 
if  any  foreign  body  should  get  into  the  pump  and  stop  it  the 


88  THE   COxMPLETE   MOTORIST 

whole  pump  is  not  wrecked,  but  is  protected  by  two  small 
breakable  prongs,  which  are  easily  renewed.  Lubrication 
throughout  the  car  is  positive  and  autorriatic,  oil  being  pumped 
to  all  parts  of  the  engine  and  car,  and  special  grease-cups  being 
fitted  on  the  dashboard  for  the  lubrication  of  the  gear-box. 

One  of  the  many  excellent  features  of  the  Napier  cars  is  the 
carburettor,  of  the  float-feed  spray  type,  which  is  now  fitted 
with  a  hydraulic  auxiliary  air  regulator  for  the  purpose  of 
diluting  the  mixture  formed  in  the  mixing  chamber.  This 
device  consists  of  a  valve  controlled  by  a  diaphragm  attached 
to  the  pipe  through  which  the  auxiliary  supply  of  warm  air 
passes  to  the  carburettor.  The  passage  through  this  pipe  is 
partly  obstructed  by  a  valve  which,  when  it  is  pressed  inward 
by  the  diaphragm,  enlarges  the  opening  through  which  air  can 
pass,  but  is  normally  held  out  by  a  spring  in  such  a  position 
that  the  passage  of  air  through  the  pipe  is  almost  completely 
throttled.  A  pipe  from  the  circulating  water  system  is  led  into 
the  hollow  casting  behind  the  diaphragm.  Now  the  pressure  of 
the  water  in  the  cooling  system  depends  upon  the  speed  at 
which  the  engine  is  running ;  as  the  engine  slows  the  pressure 
is  reduced,  and  as  the  speed  increases  it  rises.  As  the  speed  of 
the  engine  increases,  therefore,  the  water  in  the  casting  presses 
increasingly  on  the  diaphragm,  which  opens  the  valve  and 
admits  more  air  to  the  cylinders.  The  variation  is  thus  en- 
tirely automatic  and,  theoretically  at  any  rate,  in  exact  accord- 
ance with  the  requirements  of  the  engine. 

THE  MERCEDES  CAR 

The  unique  position  attained  by  the  Mercedes  car  may  on 
the  whole  be  attributed  to  perfection  of  workmanship  and  the 
determination  on  the  part  of  the  designers  and  builders  to 
include  nothing  but  what  was  first-rate,  even  though  the  price 
of  the  car  should  thereby  be  raised  to  a  figure  which  should 
place  it  beyond  the  reach  of  the  ordinary  motorist.  This  policy 
was  more  than  justified  in  the  results ;  for  the  Mercedes  car 
rapidly  took  its  place  at  the  head  of  the  list  even  of  first-rate 
cars,  and  the  winning  of  the  Gordon-Bennett  Race  in  1903  by  a 
Mercedes  car  gave  to  its  makers  the  blue  ribbon  of  the  auto- 
mobile world.     When  the  car  was  brought  out  a  few  years  ago, 


60-H.p.  mp:rcede.s  engine,    right-hand  side 

A — FLOAT-FEED   CHAMBER 

Al — SPRAY   CHAMBER 

A2 — THROTTLE   VALVE 

A4 — CYLINDER-HEAD   CASTINGS 

A3 — BRANCH    FEED    FIFE 

A5 — ROD    FROM    C;oVEKNOR    REGULA'IINO    I'HROTTLE 

B — VALVE  SPINDLES 

Bl — HORIZONTAL    ROCKING    LEVERS   OPEN  AUNG    INLET    VALVE;. 

B2 — PARAFFIN    COCKS 

E— LOW   TENSION    IGNITERS 

E4 — RODS    ACTUATING   ROCKER    FOR    MREAKINf;   CONTACT 

E5 — LAY   SHAFT    FROM    WHICH    TIME   OF    IGNIJION    LS   \ARIED 

E6 — CONTACT    BLOCK    IN    WHICH    WIRES   ARE  COUPLED 

E7 — TAPERED    PLL(;s    FITTED    INTO    DITTO 

F2 — PRESSURE   FEED   VALVE   FOR   LUBRICATORS 

G2 — WATER   PIPE   BETWEEN    RADIAHJR   AND   CYLINDER   JACKEI  .l 

G4 — GEAR  WHEEL   OPERATING   CAM    SHAFT 


SOME   TYPES   OF   PETROL   CAR  89 

moreover,  the  design  included  a  great  number  of  features  which 
were  quite  novel  and  original,  such  as  the  honeycomb  radiator, 
the  Mercedes  clutch  and  valve  gear,  internal  expanding  brakes, 
and  the  safety  device  applied  to  the  change-speed  lever ;  and 
although  the  Mercedes  car  still  maintains  its  lead,  other  makers 
of  motor-cars  have  not  been  slow  to  take  advantage  of  the 
ingenuity  and  excellence  of  the  Mercedes  design,  so  that 
many  of  its  best  features  are  no  longer  peculiar  to  it,  but  have 
been  adopted  on  most  of  the  leading  motor-cars.  It  is  therefore 
not  now  so  remarkable  and  unique  a  machine  as  it  was  when  it 
came  out,  although  it  is  probably  true  to  say  that  in  matters 
of  design  and  construction  it  still  sets  the  fashion  for  the 
majority  in  motor-car  design. 

The  structural  arrangements  of  the  Mercedes  car  are  those 
which  have  been  accepted  as  the  best  among  the  majority 
of  motor-car  manufacturers.  The  frame  is  of  stamped  steel, 
the  side  members  of  which  are  continued  forward  in  front  and 
curved  over  into  arms  for  carrying  the  front  ends  of  the  springs. 
The  engine  and  gear-box  are  fixed  directly  to  the  main  frame, 
and  are  covered  in  from  dust  below  as  well  as  above.  The 
Mercedes  springs,  which  support  the  frame,  are  remarkably  long 
and  have  but  little  curve,  the  method  of  suspension  employed, 
however,  securing  for  the  carriage  a  very  easy  and  pleasant  free- 
dom from  road  vibration.  The  drive  to  the  rear  wheels  is  by 
means  of  chains  working  on  sprockets  fixed  at  the  ends  of  the 
differential  shaft,  the  movement  of  which  is  thus  communicated 
to  the  road  wheels. 

The  engine  has  four  cylinders,  which  are  cast,  with  their 
water-jackets,  in  pairs.  The  inlet  valves  are  situated  centrally 
above  each  cylinder,*  and  the  exhaust  valves  in  separate  cham- 
bers on  the  left-hand  side  of  the  engine.  The  inlet  valves  are 
operated  by  horizontal  rocking  levers,  the  movement  of  which 
is  supplied  by  vertical  rods  actuated  by  cams  on  the  half-time 
shaft.  The  method  of  controlling  the  Mercedes  car,  which  is 
perhaps  one  of  the  most  successful  adopted  on  any  petrol  car 
of  standard  design,  allows  for  a  great  variation  in  the  amount 
of  gas  admitted  to  the  cylinders.  This  is  achieved  by  a 
mechanism  which  alters  the  lift  of  the  inlet  valves,  and  is  con- 

*  This  does  not  apply  to  the  latest  pattern  of  Mercedes  engines,  in  which  the 
inlet  valves  are  situated  on  the  right-hand  side  of  the  cylinders. 


90  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

trolled  by  a  lever  fixed  on  the  steering  wheel.  The  vertical 
rods  (B2),  which  communicate  the  movement  of  the  cams  to 
the  rocking  lever  actuating  the  inlet  valves,  are  screwed  at  their 
upper  ends  into  the  joint  fitting  by  which  they  are  connected  with 
these  rocking  levers  (Bi).  The  rods  themselves  can  be  turned 
about  their  own  axes,  and  so  be  made  to  screw  into  or  out 
of  the  sockets  at  their  upper  ends,  the  length  of  the  connection 
being  thus  varied.  At  their  lower  ends  small  pinions,  which 
are  clearly  shown  in  the  illustration,  are  mounted  on  them. 
These  pinions  engage  in  a  toothed  rack  (B3),  which  lies  parallel 
with  the  cylinders  between  them  and  the  vertical  rods.  It  is 
the  movement  of  this  rack-bar,  communicated  from  the  handle 
on  the  steering  wheel,  which  varies  the  lift  of  the  inlet  valve, 
and  so  varies  the  quantity  of  explosive  mixture  drawn  into  the 
cylinders.  The  period  of  the  stroke  at  which  the  valves  are 
opened  is  also  varied  ;  when  the  rods  are  given  their  greatest 
length  the  valves  are  opened  at  the  beginning  of  the  suction 
stroke  and  closed  at  the  extreme  end  of  the  stroke  ;  as  the  rods 
are  shortened  the  valves  are  opened  later  in  the  stroke  and 
closed  earlier,  so  that  in  that  position  they  are  not  only  opened  for 
a  shorter  period  in  each  stroke,  but  the  extent  of  the  opening  is 
less.  This  very  delicate  variation  permits  the  engine  to  be  run 
with  the  very  smallest  amount  of  gas  when  the  load  is  light — a 
circumstance  which  has  much  to  do  with  the  smoothness  and 
quietness  of  its  running.  It  also  renders  it  extremely  elastic, 
making  frequent  changes  of  gear  unnecessary.  In  spite  of  its 
advantages,  however,  this  device  has  not  been  retained  on  the 
very  latest  patterns  of  the  engine. 

The  ignition  of  the  Mercedes  engine  is  of  the  low-tension 
magneto  type,  the  igniters  being  placed  on  the  right-hand  side 
of  the  cylinders,  and  they  are  operated  by  a  separate  cam  shaft, 
the  time  of  the  ignition  being  varied  by  a  mechanism  which 
causes  the  cams  operating  the  igniters  to  come  into  contact 
earlier  or  later  in  the  stroke  as  may  be  desired.  The  wires 
leading  to  the  four  ignition  plugs  are  led  into  a  contact-block  by 
small  plugs,  any  one  of  which  is  quickly  detachable.  A  single 
insulated  wire  leads  the  contact-block  from  the  magneto ;  any 
igniter  can  thus  be  rapidly  disconnected  and  a  fault  easily 
discovered.  The  magneto  (E  8)  is  fixed  on  the  left  side  of  the 
crank  chamber,  and  is  driven  by  a  spur  wheel  (E  9),  which  is 


Q>      65 


60-H.P.    MERCEDES   ENGINE.      PART   OF   LEFT-HAND   SIDE 

A7— MEIAL   CASING   ROUND   EXHAUST    IMl'E 

B2 — VERTICAL    RODS   TRANSMITTING   MOVEMENT   OK    CAMS   TO   THE   VALVES 

B3 — PINIONS   WORKING   TIMING  GEAR   OF    INLET   VALVES 

E8 — MAGNETS 

Eg — SPUR   WHEEL   DRIVING   MAGNETS 

F — FITTING    FROM   WHICH   EXHAUST   PIPES   ARE   LED 

G — CIRCULATING   PUMP 

Gl — BRANCHED    PIPE   FROM    RADIATOR   TO   WATER   JACICET 

Gs — OIL   PIPE   FOR    LUBRICATING   CIRCULATING   PUMP 


GO-H.P.    .MERCEDES   CAR.      VIEW   OF   CLUTCH,   DASHBOARD 
AND   OPERATING   J.EVERS  AND   PEDALS 

F3 — AIR    HUMP    FOR    PRESSURE   OX    TANKS 

F4 — SHUT-OFF    VALVF.   OF    DO. 

V-, — LEVER   CUTTI.NG   (iUT   SILENCER 

F6 — PRESSURE  GUAGE 

G6 — GREASE  CUP   FOR   CIRCULATING    PUMP 

H — FLYWHEEL 

Hi — CASING   ATTACHED   TO    DO. 

H2 — LEVER   TIGHTENING   CLUTCH    COIL 

Jl — HELICAL   CLUTCH-SPRING 

J2 — CLUTCH    PEDAL 

Kl — CHANGE  SPEED   LEVER 

L — BRAKE    BAND   ON    DRUM    ON    SECOND-MOTION   SHAFT 

Li — LEVER   OPER.VTING   DO. 

1,2— PEDAL   ACTUATING   FOOT-BRAKE 

M — LEVER   OPERATING    BREAK    ON    DIFFERENTIAL   SHAFT 

N — HAND   LEXER    FOR   SIDE   BRAKES 

P — MULTIPLE   SIGHT-FEED   LUBRICATOR 

Pi — LUBRICATOR    FOR   CRANK    CHAMBER 

P2 — lAP   CUTTING   OFF    OIL   SUPPLY   FROM    LUBRICATOR 


SOME   TYPES   OF   PETROL   CAR  91 

mounted  on  the  middle  of  the  inlet  cam  shaft.  The  exhaust 
valves,  which  have  flat  instead  of  conical  seats,  are  actuated 
from  the  same  cam  shaft,  the  whole  of  the  cams  on  this  shaft 
being  enclosed  in  a  casing  that  forms  part  of  the  crank  chamber. 
The  Mercedes  inlet  valves  are  triple-seated,  there  being  two 
separate  annular  and  concentric  spaces  through  which  the 
explosive  mixture  passes.  The  valve-head  is  provided  with 
a  slot  for  the  insertion  of  a  tool  for  grinding  purposes,  all  three 
seats  being,  of  course,  simultaneously  ground.  The  advantage 
of  these  triple-seated  valves  is  that  the  area  of  opening  is 
greater  than  if  an  ordinary  single-seated  valve  were  used. 

The  cooling  is  by  means  of  a  honeycomb  water-tank,  through 
the  opening  of  which  air  is  drawn.  The  spokes  of  the  fly-wheel 
are  cast  in  the  form  of  a  fan,  and  the  bonnet  covering  the 
engine  containing  no  openings,  this  fan  fly-wheel  draws  a  con- 
tinuous current  of  air  through  the  radiator.  Circulation  is 
maintained  by  a  centrifugal  pump,  which  draws  the  water  from 
the  bottom  of  the  radiator  and  delivers  it  at  the  bottom  of  the 
water-jackets,  from  the  top  of  which  it  returns  to  the  top 
of  the  radiator.  All  the  moving  parts  are  lubricated  from 
a  pressure  lubricator  fixed  on  the  dashboard,  the  pressure  being 
derived  from  the  exhaust  gases,  which  also  distribute  pressure 
to  the  petrol  tank  and  to  the  water  used  for  cooling  the  brake 
drums.  The  exhaust  gases  are  led  to  a  single  exhaust  pipe, 
which  passes  to  the  rear  of  the  car  and  terminates  in  a  large 
silencer.  This  connection  can  be  cut  out  and  the  exhaust 
gases  allowed  to  escape  directly  to  the  atmosphere  by  means 
of  a  fitting  on  the  dashboard ;  thus  greater  power  can  be 
momentarily  attained  if  desired,  and  the  working  of  the  four 
cylinders  verified  by  the  sound  of  the  exhaust. 

The  motion  of  the  engine  is  transmitted  through  a  clutch 
of  the  coil  type  in  which  the  coil  is  in  the  form  of  a  helical 
spring,  one  end  of  which  is  fixed,  and  the  other  is  connected 
with  a  lever,  so  that  the  coil  can  be  tightened  up  and  caused  to 
grip  a  drum  inside  the  clutch.  The  clutch  is  connected  with  the 
first-motion  shaft,  on  which  are  sliding  spur  wheels  giving  the 
different  ratios  of  gear.  Corresponding  spur  wheels  are  rigidly 
fixed  to  the  second-motion  shaft,  which  lies  to  the  left  of  the 
first-motion  shaft  and  parallel  with  it.  Its  forward  end  carries 
a  brake  drum,  which  is  actuated  by  a  pedal ;  its  rearward  end  is 


92  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

in  the  bevel  wheel  which  drives  the  differential  gear.  On  the 
differential  shaft  there  is  (in  the  larger  cars)  another  metal-to- 
metal  expanding  drum  brake  which  is  also  water-cooled  and 
actuated  by  a  pedal.  All  the  shafts  run  in  ball  bearings,  and 
there  are  ball-thrust  bearings  from  the  ends  of  the  counter- 
shaft. All  the  speeds  are  controlled  by  a  single  lever,  which  is 
moved  sideways  into  one  or  other  of  three  parallel  slots  in  the 
quadrant,  a  positive  backward  or  forward  movement  in  each 
of  these  slots  giving  the  four  speeds,  reverse,  and  neutral 
positions.  The  steering  gear  is  of  the  screw  pattern,  a  block 
travelling  up  and  down  the  steering  post  when  the  wheel  is 
turned,  and  this  motion  is  transmitted  to  the  steering  heads  by 
means  of  a  crank  lever  with  which  it  engages.  All  four  wheels 
on  a  Mercedes  car  are  fitted  with  ball  bearings.  A  spray 
carburettor  of  very  simple  type  is  used,  and  it  is  fitted  with 
a  throttle  valve,  which  is  acted  upon  by  the  centrifugal  governor. 
A  fitting  is  provided  whereby  the  proportion  of  air  drawn  into 
the  mixing  chamber  can  be  regulated  at  the  carburettor  itself 

The  perfection  of  the  Mercedes  engine  is  shown  in  its  smooth 
and  sure  running,  the  perfect  regularity  with  which  it  receives 
the  combustible  mixture  in  exactly  the  right  quantity  and  pro- 
portion, and  the  clock-like  steadiness  with  which  the  cylinders 
fire.  If  the  silencer  is  cut  out  and  the  individual  explosions 
of  the  exhaust  are  listened  to,  the  sound  is  more  like  that  of 
a  very  evenly  worked  maxim  gun  than  like  the  somewhat 
spasmodic  throbs  given  out  by  less  excellently  designed  and 
constructed  machines.  The  Mercedes  cars  are  made  in  various 
sizes  and  powers,  the  lowest  being  the  18-28  h.p.  car.  Other 
sizes  are  of  24-28  h.p.,  28-32  h.p.,  35-40  h.p.,  40-45  h.p., 
60  h.p.,  and  90  h.p.,  the  last  being  made  only  for  racing 
purposes. 

THE    LAXCHESTER   CAR 

There  is  probably  no  more  interesting  motor-car  from  the 
engineers'  point  of  view  than  the  Lanchester.  It  is  the  out- 
come of  an  extraordinary  care  and  originality  in  design,  and 
an  extraordinary  amount  of  deliberation  and  preparation.  It 
is  typical  of  the  care  with  which  this  car  has  been  designed 
that  although  it  made  its  first  appearance  at  the  Richmond 
Trials  in  1899,  when  it  secured  the  gold  medal,  it  was  neverthe- 


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SOME   TYPES   OF   PETROL   CAR  93 

less  withdrawn  again  and  entirely  re-designed,  and  was  not 
offered  to  the  public  until  1901.  Since  that  year  the  success 
of  this  car  with  English  users  has  been  remarkable;  and  it 
says  much  for  the  care  and  genius  of  its  designers  that  in 
principle  the  original  model  has  never  needed  to  be  changed. 
Slight  details  have  here  and  there  been  improved,  and  in 
deference  to  the  widespread  public  taste  in  regard  to  engine 
cooling,  the  water  system  instead  of  the  air  system  was  intro- 
duced in  1904.  Beyond  these  changes,  however,  the  car  remains 
practically  as  it  was  when  it  was  first  offered  to  the  public  ; 
and  as  it  is  entirely  unlike  any  other  motor-car  at  present 
built,  it  merits  a  somewhat  detailed  description. 

The  engine  in  a  Lanchester  car  is  placed,  not  in  front  or 
behind,  but  in  the  middle  of  the  frame,  and  it  is  quite  inde- 
pendent of  the  body  work.  The  car  frame  consists  of  two 
girders  of  aluminium  plate  and  mild  steel,  which  are  connected 
by  a  12-inch  steel  tube  which  also  forms  the  petrol  tank.  The 
system  of  staying  the  frame  with  ties  and  bulkheads  ensures 
an  extraordinary  rigidity  in  proportion  to  the  weight.  The 
Lanchester  is  indeed  remarkable  for  the  way  in  which  both 
weight  and  undue  strength  are  avoided  where  they  are  not 
required,  and  the  way  also  in  which  unusual  strength  and 
weight  if  necessary  are  secured  in  the  vital  parts  of  the 
machinery.  The  steering  mechanism,  for  example,  is  remark- 
ably heavy  and  massive.  The  steering  wheels  are  mounted  in 
the  usual  way  on  independent  axles,  which  are  connected  to 
the  front  frame  by  very  solid  ball  heads  ;  and  the  transmission 
from  the  car  frame,  where  the  steering  lever  is  fixed,  to  the 
under  frame  is  by  means  of  a  direct  link  which  is  in  ap- 
proximate alignment  to  the  parallel  motion  by  which  the  front 
frame  is  attached.  The  car  is  steered  by  a  tiller  fixed  on  the 
right-hand  side  of  the  car,  this  being  entirely  different  either 
from  the  wheel  system  of  steering  or  the  American  side-tiller 
system.  In  the  Lanchester  the  tiller  is  moved  in  the  direction 
in  which  the  car  is  desired  to  go,  and  this  in  practice  makes 
over-steering  almost  impossible,  owing  to  the  centrifugal  force 
which  acts  on  the  driver's  body,  and  tends  to  counteract  his 
steering  effort.  The  car  frame  is  designed  with  a  level  top,  so 
that  when  the  carriage  body,  which  is  easily  detached,  is  lifted 
up,  the  whole  of  the  mechanism  is  exposed  and  accessible. 


94 


THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 


It  will  be  seen  at  once  from  the  illustration  that  the  engine 
differs  radically  from  any  other  petrol  engine  at  present  in  use 
for  motor-cars.  It  is  what  is  known  as  a  balanced  engine,  and 
is  claimed  to  be  the  only  reciprocating  motor-engine  which  is 
perfectly  balanced  in  every  respect.  The  system  of  balancing 
will  be  seen  from  the  illustration.  The  two  pistons  and  con- 
necting-rod link-work  have  their  common  centre  of  gravity 
always  half-way  between  the  two  crank  pins — that  is  to  say, 
that  the  two  crank  pins  revolve  in  opposite  directions ;  the 
centre  of  gravity  of  the  moving  parts  moves  to  and  from  along 
the  axial  line  of  the  cylinders.     It  is  the  movement  of  the  mass 


SKETCH    SHOWING    BALANCE   OF    LANCHESTER    ENCHNE 


of  the  reciprocating  parts,  as  indicated  by  the  motion  of  their 
common  centre  of  gravity,  that  is  the  cause  of  the  vibration  of 
most  reciprocating  engines,  and  it  is  usual  to  neutralise  this 
effect  by  opposing  rotating  balance  weights  which  tend  to 
neutralise  the  shifting  centre  of  gravity.  This  system  is  per- 
fectly carried  out  in  the  Lanchester,  owing  to  the  position  of 
the  balance  weights,  which  rotate  in  opposite  directions  and,  in 
technical  language,  neutralise  each  other  so  far  as  their  vertical 
component  is  concerned,  but  combine  in  respect  of  their  hori- 
zontal component.  The  fact  also  that  there  are  two  fly-wheels 
instead  of  one  on  the  Lanchester  motor  prevents  that  source  of 
vibration  which  arises  from  the  impulse  given  to  the  fly-wheel 
by  the  explosion  of  the  charge  ;  and   as  the  Lanchester  fly- 


FIG.    2 

-ANXHESTER   VALVE   GEAR 


SOME   TYPES   OF   PETROL   CAR  95 

wheels  receive  their  impulse  in  opposite  directions,  the  impulses 
are  so  neutralised  that  no  shock  is  transmitted  to  the  frame. 

Another  original  feature  of  the  Lanchester  engine  is  its  valve 
gear.  In  the  engines  hitherto  described,  it  will  be  remembered 
that  there  have  been  always  two  valves — an  inlet  valve  and  an 
exhaust  valve.  The  Lanchester  patent  valve  gear,  however,  has 
only  one  opening  into  the  combustion  chamber  instead  of  two  ; 
and  one  advantage  of  this  arrangement  is  that  the  cool  charge 
of  unexploded  vapour  passes  through  the  same  valve  as  that  by 
which  the  hot  exhaust  has  escaped,  and  so  keeps  the  tempera- 
ture of  the  valve  down  and  prevents  the  corrosion  of  its  seat. 
The  trouble  of  grinding-in  valves,  which  has  to  be  faced  with 
ordinary  engines  after  every  i,ooo  miles  or  so,  is  practically 
unknown  in  the  Lanchester  engine.  Figs,  i  and  2  show  in 
section  the  Lanchester  valve.  In  Fig.  i  the  valve  is  shown 
open  for  the  passage  of  the  exhaust  gases,  and  in  Fig,  2  it  is 
shown  with  the  exhaust  aperture  closed  and  the  feed  part  open ; 
the  arrows  in  both  figures  show  the  course  either  of  the  vapour 
or  of  the  burnt  gas.  The  main  valve  is  operated  by  a  lever 
worked  off  the  half-time  shaft,  and  the  feed  is  worked  by  a 
separate  lever  by  means  of  an  inertia  governor,  which  acts,  or 
fails  to  act,  according  as  the  speed  is  under  or  over  that  for 
which  the  governor  is  set.  This  governor  acts  absolutely  by 
cutting  out  the  mixture  when  the  speed  is  excessive  and  re- 
admitting it  when  the  speed  drops  again  to  the  fixed  limit.  It 
acts  on  the  feed-valve  stem,  which  is  furnished  with  a  knife- 
edge  and  actuated  by  the  governor  blade.  When  the  blade 
engages,  a  new  charge  of  mixture  is  admitted  to  the  engine, 
and  when  the  blade  fails  to  engage,  no  charge  is  admitted. 

The  Lanchester  system  of  magneto  ignition  is  also  interesting 
and  original,  as  it  entirely  dispenses  with  wire  connections  and 
has  no  trembler.  The  permanent  magnets  are  built  up  to  form 
part  of  one  of  the  motor  fly-wheels,  in  which  their  weight  is 
utilised  instead  of  being  merely  a  burden.  The  armature  is 
fixed  in  a  relative  position  on  the  motor  frame,  and  is  sup- 
ported by  the  motor  crank  shaft.  The  current  is  induced  in  the 
armature  coils  by  the  passage  of  the  revolving  magnet,  which 
breaks  the  magnetic  circuit.  In  the  accompanying  diagram  the 
shaded  portions  represent  the  "  earth  "  connections,  which  are 
all  in  connection  with  the  motor  frame,  and  therefore,  of  course. 


96 


THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 


with  one  another.  The  spark  is  produced  by  the  primary  coil 
of  the  armature  in  conjunction  with  a  positively  actuated  contact- 
breaker. 

This  contact-breaker  is  an  extremely  ingenious  piece  of 
mechanism.  Its  construction  is  shown  in  Figs.  3  and  4. 
In  these  figures  the  projection  described  as  the  "tweaker"  is 
attached  to  and  revolves  with  the  half-time  shaft  of  the  motor, 
and  touches  the  igniter  spring  at  every  two  revolutions  of  the 
main  shaft.     It  is  the  action  of  this  "  tweaker  "  upon  the  igniter 


eTARK  ^AP 


SPARrr  CUB 


DIAGRAM   OF   MAGNETO   AND   ELECTRICAL   CONNECTIONS 


wire  which  causes  the  rupture  of  the  circuit  by  which  the  spark 
is  produced.  The  tweaker  making  contact  with  the  igniter 
spring  immediately  closes  the  magneto  electric  circuit,  and 
closes  it  again  (in  parallel)  by  a  second  path  at  the  sparking 
gap  within  the  cylinder.  It  will  be  understood  that,  while  the 
second  contact  is  always  clean,  the  internal  one  may  be  so  dirty 
as  to  offer  a  high  resistance,  which  would  in  the  ordinary  way 
prevent  a  proper  spark  being  formed.  When  the  tweaker 
releases  the  spring  the  external  clean  contact  is  "  ruptured " 
first  and  the  internal  contact  immediately  afterwards ;  the  result 
being  that  the  current  has  to  pass  by  the  internal  contact  for 


FIG.    3 

LANCHESTER    IGNITION    MECHANISM 


•J      X 


SOME  TYPES  OF  PETROL  CAR 


97 


such  a  short  period  that  its  resistance  (in  other  words,  the 
cleanliness  of  the  internal  contact)  is  a  matter  of  practically  no 
moment. 

The  lubrication  of  the  Lanchester  engine  is  entirely  auto- 
matic. All  that  the  driver  has  to  do  is  to  see  that  the  tank, 
which  holds  enough  oil  for  about  150  miles'  run,  is  kept  full. 
The  action  of  the  lubricator  is  shown  in  Fig.  5,  the  pistons 
being  lubricated  by  oil  passing  through  the  pillars  which  sup- 
port the  tank.  Brass  tubes  also  carry  oil  to  the  main  bearing, 
cranks,  and  counter-shaft.  The  counter-shaft  lubrication  is 
from    a   small    intermediate  oil   reservoir   which    is  flushed   at 


FIG.    4.       LANCHESTER   SPARKING    PLUG    AND    IGNITION    SPRING 


intervals  by  a  feed  from  the  main  tank,  and  discharges  its  con- 
tents to  lubricate  the  counter-shaft. 

Lanchester  motor-cars  are  at  present  fitted  either  with  air- 
cooling  or  water-cooling.  In  the  air-cooling  arrangement, 
which  is  the  original  Lanchester  design,  two  aluminium  fans  are 
driven  by  friction  off  the  rim  of  the  motor  fly-wheel,  the 
frictional  contact  being  maintained  by  springs.  The  fans  act 
by  suction  and  draw  the  air  from  the  flanges  of  the  cylinder- 
jacket  into  a  wind-chest  and  thence  into  the  centre  of  the  fan. 
The  air  current  induced  by  the  fans  is  assisted  by  wind-scoops 
outside  the  car,  through  which  air  is  passed  when  the  car  is 
running.     In  the  water-cooled  engines  the  arrangement  is  the 

H 


98 


THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 


usual  one :  a  radiator  is  placed  in  front  of  the  car,  and  the 
circulation  of  the  water  is  maintained  by  a  gear-pump  driven 
off  the  motor  crank  shaft. 

The  Lanchester  carburettor  is  made  under  the  company's 
own  patents,  its  original  feature  being  the  use  of  a  wick-feed  for 
the  purpose  of  avoiding  the  fractionating  of  the  oil,  i.e.  the 
lighter  constituents  of  the  oil  being  made  volatile  and  drawn  off, 


^,  REGULATOR 
9      HANDLE 


VAPOR 
REGULATOR 


WICK 


OVERFLOW 
HOLES 


WICK 
TANK 


PETROL 


PETROL 
TANK 


THE  I.ANCHESTER  CARBURETTOR 


leaving  the  heavier  residue  in  the  oil-container.  The  advantage 
of  the  wick  in  the  Lanchester  carburettor  is  that  as  it  draws  up 
oils  irrespective  of  their  density,  and  as  the  volatilisation  takes 
place  from  the  upper  portions  of  the  wick,  oil  is  vaporised  in 
exactly  the  same  proportions  as  exist  in  the  tank,  and  it  is 
claimed  for  the  mixture  that  it  is  more  constant  in  quality  than 
with  even  the  best  spray  carburettor.  The  drawing  on  this 
page  shows  the  Lanchester  carburettor.  A  draught  of  warm 
air  is  carried    through   the  wick-chamber   on    its   way  to  the 


Clutch  AOtuatinu 

Lt.V£R 


CoflPOUNO  G£AO  Lj£Ju 


l-IG.    7 

LANCHESTER  COUNTERSHAFT 


SOME   TYPES   OF   PETROL  CAR  99 

motor-cylinder,  and  does  not  come  into  contact  with  the  petrol 
itself  at  all,  but  only  with  the  vapour  given  off  by  it.  The 
single-headed  arrows  show  the  passage  of  the  warmed  air,  and 
the  double-headed  arrows  that  of  the  carburetted  air,  which, 
passing  into  the  vapour-regulator,  is  mixed  with  cold  air  to 
form  the  explosive  mixture.  The  tank  from  which  the  wick 
sucks  the  petrol  is  placed  inside  the  main  petrol  tank,  a  pump 
being  arranged  for  filling  the  wick  tank  and  an  overflow  being 
provided,  so  that  if  too  much  petrol  is  pumped  up  it  flows  back 
into  the  main  tank.  The  pump-handle  is  at  the  driver's  left 
hand,  and  a  few  strokes  of  the  pump  are  required  every  ten  or 
fifteen  miles,  and  the  main  tank  is  fitted  with  a  patent  gauge  to 
show  the  amount  of  petrol  contained  in  it. 

The  counter-shaft  of  the  Lanchester  car  is  a  self-contained 
piece  of  mechanism,  carrying  five  distinct  parts,  namely,  brake, 
high  gear,  reversing  gear,  low  gear,  and  compound  gear.  It  is 
carried  by  a  bracket  bolted  to  the  underside  of  the  motor  bed- 
plate. It  is  driven  off  the  lower  motor  crank  shaft  by  means  of 
helical  gearing,  and  its  general  construction  is  shown  in  Figs. 
6  and  7.  The  change-speed  gear  is  contained  in  the  drums 
shown  at  the  right  hand  of  the  illustration,  and  the  clutch  and 
brake  are  at  the  other  end.  The  helical  wheel  is  enclosed  in  an 
aluminium  case  and  runs  constantly  in  oil.  It  is  keyed  to  a 
hollow  shaft  which  runs  in  bearings  in  the  bracket,  and  contains 
bolted  on  to  it  the  outer  or  female  element  of  the  cone-clutch. 
The  clutch  or  male  part  of  the  cone  is  in  sliding  connection 
with  the  centre  shaft,  which  passes  through  the  hollow  shaft  and 
engages  with  the  change-gear  mechanism  on  its  front  end. 
The  mechanism  employed  for  sliding  the  clutch-cone  is  shown 
in  the  illustration,  and  consists  of  two  parallel  shafts,  which 
engage  with  projections  fitted  under  and  over  a  ball-thrust 
block  mounted  on  a  sleeve  to  which  the  clutch  is  attached. 
The  whole  mechanism  is  controlled  from  the  driver's  seat  by 
the  high-gear  lever. 

The  change  of  gear  is  effected  by  three  separate  trains  of 
epicyclic  gear,  the  reverse  being  obtained  by  connecting  the 
outer  element  to  the  centre  shaft.  Both  brake  and  clutch 
surfaces  are  made  of  cast-iron,  engaging  with  cast-iron,  no 
leather  or  composition  being  employed,  so  that  there  is  no 
danger  of  firing  from  a  continuous  use  of  the  brake.     Before 


100 


THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 


describing  the  action  of  the  gears  in  detail  it  may  be  pointed 
out  that  the  three  trains  of  gearing  are  practically  identical  as 
to  the  dimensions  and  arrangements  of  their  elements.  The 
pinions,  bearings,  etc.,  of  the  three  sets  are  interchangeable. 
The  functional  difference  of  all  three  sets  is  brought  about 
entirely  by  their  coupling  up  to  their  respective  brake-drums 
and  to  each  other. 

Diagram  (a)  shows  a  diagrammatic  epicyclic  gear  *  in  which 
the  three  portions  are  labelled  respectively  "  Inner  Element," 
"  Outer  Element,"  and  "  Star  Element,"  the  star  element  being 

REVERSIMG  GEAR  IN  ACTION 


DIAGRAM   (a) 


the  one  which  carries  the  planet  wheels.  In  the  reversing  gear 
the  inner  element  consists  of  the  hollow  shaft  C,  which  is  in 
running  connection  with  the  motor,  while  the  outer  element 
P  is  in  positive  running  connection  through  the  shaft  D  with 
the  propellor  or  driving  shaft  of  the  car.  The  star  element  is 
attached  to  a  brake-drum,  which  is  operated  on  by  brake  blocks 
in  order  to  put  the  reversing  gear  in  action.  When  the  star 
element  is  brought  to  rest  by  the  application  of  its  brake  its 
pinion  bearings  become  fixed,  and  the  pinions,  revolving  simply 
on  their  bearings,  transmit  motion  from  the  inner  element  to 
the  outer  element  with  a  consequent  reversal  in  the  direction 

*  See  page  64. 


SOME  TYPES  OF  PETROL  CAR 


101 


of  motion    and  an   appropriate  reduction   in   speed.      This  is 
indicated  in  the  figure. 

To  understand  the  working  of  the  low  and  compound  gears 
respectively  it  must  be  remembered  that  when  the  counter- 
shaft clutch  is  in  action  the  whole  gear-box  revolves  en  bloc. 
There  is  under  these  conditions  absolutely  no  relative  motion 
between  the  component  parts  of  the  train  of  gear ;  they  go 
round  as  one  solid  piece.  In  the  diagram  (b)  we  have  a  diagram 
of  the  low  gear  running  idle.  It  will  be  noted  that  the  outer 
element  constitutes  the  low-gear  brake-drum,  and  that  when 

LOW  GEAR  IDLE 


OUTER   ELEMENT.I-OW  GEaA 
BRAKE  DRUM  RUNNING 
COONTER-CLOCKVWISe. 


.STAR   EUtMENT 
STATIONARY    VXlTM  CAf?i 


DIAGRAM  (b) 


the  gear  is  idle  this  runs  in  a  backward  direction  and  the  car 
is  standing  still.  We  have,  then,  two  limiting  conditions  and 
an  intermediate  condition  : — 

1.  When  the  car  is  at  full  speed  (on  the  direct  clutch)  the 
low-gear  drum  runs  in  a  forward  direction. 

2.  When  the  car  is  at  rest  the  low-gear  drum  goes  back- 
wards. 

Consequently  when  the  low-gear  drum  is  held  stationary,  the 
speed  of  the  car  is  intermediate  between  that  of  the  high 
gear  and  zero.  The  proportions  given  to  the  working  parts  are 
such  that  the  ratio  of  high  gear  to  low  is  approximately  four 
to  one. 


J  02 


THE  COMPLETE   MOTORIST 


In  the  diagram  (c)  the  low  gear  is  shown  in  action.  The  low- 
gear  inner  element  connected  with  the  motor  is  running  in  a 
forward  direction.  The  low-gear  star  element  is,  as  we  have 
seen,  moving  forward  at  a  slower  rate.  The  low-gear  drum 
is  held  stationary  by  its  brake.  Now  the  compound  gear 
pinions  are  mounted  on  pins  fixed  to  an  extension  of  the  low- 
gear  drum  (this  is  shown  in  a  purely  diagrammatic  form). 
These   pinion    bearings   are   consequently  stationary,  and   we 


:<COMPouND  gEaB  with  '-Ow  ccap?  in  action 


DIAGRAM  (C) 


have  the  compound  gear  inner  element  (to  which  the  compound 
gear-drum  is  attached)  rotating  backwards.  Again,  then,  we 
have  two  limiting  conditions  and  an  intermediate. 

1.  When  the  car  is  on  the  high  gear  the  compound  gear- 
drum  runs  in  a  forward  direction. 

2.  When  the  car  is  travelling  with  its  low  gear  in  action  the 
compound  gear-drum  goes  backwards. 

Consequently,  if  we  hold  the  compound  gear-drum  stationary 
(by  means  of  its  brake)  the  car  will  go  at  a  speed  intermediate 
between   the  high  gear  and  the  low  gear.     The  actual   speed 


SOME   TYPES   OF   PETROL   CAR  103 

ratio  of  high  gear  to  compound  is  approximately  as  seven  is 
to  four. 

Not  the  least  important  part  of  the  Lanchester  car  in  the 
eyes  of  the  amateur  is  its  remarkably  graceful  and  rakish 
appearance  and  the  extreme  comfort  of  the  carriage.  This  is 
achieved  partly  by  the  general  design  of  the  car,  which  permits 
the  carriage  to  be  hung  so  low  that  the  centre  of  gravity  is 
kept  well  down,  and  partly  by  means  of  the  beautiful  sus- 
pension arrangement  by  which  the  car  frame  is  connected  to 
the  under  frame.  Instead  of  the  ordinary  double  type  of 
carriage  spring,  a  single  spring  like  a  cantilever  is  used  at  each 
of  the  four  suspension  points,  half  of  each  spring  being  out- 
side and  half  inside  the  frame  of  the  car  body.  In  Fig.  7 
this  system  of  suspension  is  illustrated.  One  great  advantage 
of  this,  both  for  steering  purposes  and  general  comfort,  is  that 
the  car,  instead  of  tending  to  roll  along  over  its  front  axle, 
thrusts  it  forward,  and  lies  well  behind  the  point  of  contact 
of  the  wheels  with  the  ground. 

My  own  impression  of  the  Lanchester  car  is  that,  given  proper 
attention  and  the  moderately  careful  use  which  all  machinery 
demands  if  good  results  are  to  be  obtained  from  it,  there  are 
few  motor-cars  better  suited  for  the  use  of  private  travellers  on 
our  English  roads.  The  great  comfort  of  the  carriage,  its  beau- 
tiful lines,  its  "  gentlemanly "  appearance,  the  sterling  qualities 
of  the  work  employed  in  it,  and  its  general  strength  and 
durability  are  qualities  that  recommend  it  powerfully  to  those 
motorists  who  care  more  for  comfort  than  for  speed,  and  who  yet 
wish  to  be  able  to  cover  the  ground  at  a  reasonable  pace.  The 
lower-powered  Lanchester  is  not  a  racing  car,  nor  is  it  a 
particularly  fast  hill-climber  ;  but  the  ease  with  which  it  is 
controlled  and  the  very  respectable  average  speed  which  it  can 
steadily  maintain  make  it  a  charming  vehicle  for  people  who 
like  to  see  something  of  the  country  through  which  they  have 
to  pass,  who  do  not  wish  to  have  their  minds  occupied  entirely 
with  details  of  machinery,  and  who  like  to  travel  in  comfort  and 
at  a  moderate  cost.  The  silent  working  of  the  Lanchester  car 
makes  it  also  an  extremely  useful  carriage  for  town  use,  especi- 
ally when  it  is  fitted  with  the  detachable  brougham  head  shown 
in  the  illustration. 


104  THE   COMPLETE    MOTOlilST 

THE   DAIMLER   CAR 

The  Daimler  Motor  Company  has  earned  for  its  cars  a 
deservedly  high  reputation.  It  was  the  first  company  formed 
in  England  for  the  manufacture  of  motor-cars,  and  since  its 
first  car  was  made  its  good  name  has  steadily  increased. 
Thoroughness  and  soundness  of  workmanship  have  from  the 
first  been  characteristic  of  Daimler  carriages,  and  the  company 
has  always  regarded  strength  and  durability  as  more  important 
qualities  in  a  motor-car  than  mere  speed  and  cheapness.  The 
result  has  been  that,  although  these  cars  are  slightly  heavier 
than  the  average,  and  not  quite  so  fast  per  horse-power  as  some 
of  their  rivals,  the  users  of  them  have  always  enjoyed  a  feeling 
of  confidence  and  freedom  from  breakdown  on  the  road. 

The  Daimler  cars  are  built  on  standard  lines,  with  a  vertical 
four-cylinder  engine  under  the  bonnet  in  front  driving  through 
a  gear-box  to  a  counter-shaft  fixed  across  the  car,  and  from  this 
the  rear  wheels  are  driven  by  means  of  outside  sprockets  and 
chains.  The  engine  is  water-cooled  by  means  of  a  radiator  and 
fan  with  a  large  centrifugal  pump  to  maintain  the  circulation. 
The  new  Daimler  engines  are  built  in  two  sizes — 18  h.p. 
and  28  h.p. ;  both  these  engines  being  identical  in  design, 
and  different  only  in  dimensions.  These  figures  are,  however, 
somewhat  misleading,  as  the  large  range  of  speeds  at  which 
the  Daimler  engine  may  be  run  allows  of  a  much  greater 
horse-power  being  developed  when  the  engine  is  accelerated. 
Thus  the  18  h.p.  engine  can  develop  22  h.p.,  and  the  28  h.p. 
can  develop  as  much  as  36  h.p.  The  18  h.p.  and  the  28  h.p. 
cars  are  supplied  either  with  a  short  or  a  long  chassis,  the 
standard  length  of  these  allowing  for  wheel  bases  of  8  feet, 
9  feet  6  inches,  or  1 1  feet.  A  great  variety  of  bodies  can  thus 
be  fitted  ;  and  this  practice  allows  for  the  greatest  possible 
variety  in  external  arrangement,  while  it  keeps  the  actual 
engines  built  by  the  company  within  the  limits  of  two  or 
three  standard  sizes. 

The  accompanying  views  of  the  engine  and  chassis  are  taken 
from  a  28  h.p.  car  of  the  1905  pattern,  but  the  details  are 
similar  in  all  three  sizes.  The  frames  are  constructed  of  steel 
plates  combined  with  wood  and  channel  steel,  narrowed  in 
front,  but  without  weakening  the  side  members  ;  and  no  under 


^1 


THE   DAIMLER   CHASSIS.      FROM   ABOVE 


THE    DAIMLER    ENGINE.      RlGHTHANLi   SIDE 


THE   DAI.Ml.Kk    ENGINK,    LEFT-HAND   SIDE 


DAl.MLER   CHANGE-SPEED   GEAR   AND   DRIVE 


SOME   TYPES   OF   PETROE   CAR  105 

frame  is  used.  The  engine  has  four  cylinders  cast  in  pairs, 
those  of  the  28  h.p,  engine  having  a  bore  of  1 10  mm.  and  a 
stroke  of  150  mm.;  and  this  engine  develops  the  advertised 
horse-power  at  750  revolutions  per  minute.  The  valves,  me- 
chanically operated,  are  all  placed  on  the  left-hand  side  of  the 
engine,  and  an  automatic  governor  throttles  the  supply  of  gas 
to  the  cylinders  upon  a  given  engine  speed  being  attained.  The 
carburettor,  of  the  spray  type,  is  a  special  design  of  the  makers, 
and  gives  a  positive  regulation  of  mixture  at  all  loads  and 
speeds  of  the  engine ;  combined  with  it  is  a  graduated  throttle, 
which  is  actuated  by  the  automatic  governor  as  well  as  by  a 
hand  control.  The  ignition  is  on  the  high-tension  system,  with 
one  coil  and  trembler  and  one  low-tension  timing  brush ;  but 
the  high-tension  magneto  system  is  fitted  as  an  extra  for  those 
who  desire  it.  All  bearings  are  self-lubricating,  except  those 
supplied  by  the  sight-feed  pressure  lubricator  to  the  engine 
cylinders  and  crank  chambers.  The  clutch  is  a  light  cone 
covered  with  leather,  and  controlled  by  a  pedal  in  the  usual 
way;  the  shaft  which  revolves  with  it  communicates  direct  with 
the  gear-case,  which  is  combined  with  the  casing  enclosing  the 
differential  shaft.  The  Daimler  change-speed  gear, 'which  is 
illustrated,  provides  four  speeds  and  a  reverse,  which  are  con- 
trolled in  a  somewhat  special  way.  Instead  of  one  lever  work- 
ing in  a  notched  segment,  through  different  portions  of  which 
it  has  to  be  moved  to  effect  different  changes  of  speed,  the 
Daimler  system  allows  of  a  full  movement  of  the  lever  to  be 
made  for  each  change,  two  segments  being  fitted  side  by  side,  in 
each  of  which  the  lever  is  able  to  work.  The  reverse  gear  is 
actuated  by  a  separate  lever.  The  brakes  are  of  the  external 
band  type ;  one  pair  operates  on  drums  placed  on  each  side  of 
the  differential  shaft,  which  are  operated  by  a  pedal ;  the  other 
pair  act  on  the  rear  wheels,  and  are  controlled  by  a  hand  lever. 
The  bands  are  of  soft  iron  rubbing  on  steel  drums,  and  require 
no  water  cooling.  The  steering  is  by  wheel  with  a  worm  and 
segment  gear  ;  the  wheels  are  of  the  artillery  pattern,  all  four 
being  36  inches  in  diameter  ;  and  the  axles  are  of  solid  steel 
with  vertical  swivels  and  forged  steel  axle  hubs  and  naves ;  all 
journals  are  case-hardened.  The  prices  of  Daimler  cars  are 
from  £yoo  upwards,  according  to  the  type  of  carriage  fitted. 


106  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

THE    DE    IMETRICII    CAR 

No  motor-car  has  in  so  short  a  time  earned  so  high  and 
worthy  a  reputation  as  the  De  Dietrich.  Like  most  of  the  cars 
which  share  with  it  the  highest  place  in  modern  motor-car  con- 
struction, it  is  the  result  of  long  and  elaborate  study  on  the  part 
of  an  engineering  firm  of  world-wide  fame.  The  name  of  the 
Dietrich  Company  is  famous  in  the  science  of  metallurgy  as 
well  as  in  commerce,  and  it  is  natural  that  when  such  a  firm, 
like  the  Cannstatt  Daimler  Company  and  Crossley  Brothers, 
turns  its  attention  to  the  making  of  modern  high-speed  road- 
carriages,  it  should  achieve  something  far  out  of  the  common 
both  in  design  and  workmanship.  The  remarkable  performance 
of  the  De  Dietrich  car  driven  by  Mr.  Jarrott  in  the  Paris- 
Madrid  race  in  1903,  which  covered  the  343  miles  to  Bordeaux 
in  351  minutes,  is  only  one  of  the  many  successes  recently  won 
by  these  cars  on  the  road  ;  and  they  have  won  still  greater 
successes  in  the  less  conspicuous  but  more  important  contest  of 
utility  and  durability  that  is  provided  in  the  daily  experiences 
of  private  owners. 

Perfection  of  workmanship  rather  than  originality  in  detail  is 
what  seems  to  be  aimed  at  by  the  Dietrich  Company,  although 
many  details  of  construction,  hardly  important  enough  singly 
to  attract  attention  as  innovations,  show  with  what  care  every 
detail  is  thought  out  and  adapted  to  its  purpose.  The  De 
Dietrich  car  is  constructed  on  the  modern  standard  lines.  A 
pressed  steel  frame  carries  the  carriage  work  and  springs,  while 
the  motor  itself,  of  the  four-cylinder  vertical  type,  is  hung  in  a 
steel  cradle  in  the  forward  part  of  the  frame.  The  usual  long 
springs  both  before  and  behind  carry  the  chassis  upon  the  road 
wheels.  The  steering  gear  works  by  an  inclined  wheel,  and  is 
provided  with  a  tooth-nut  by  means  of  which  any  wear  can  be 
taken  up,  and  it  is  fitted  with  ball  connections  which  make  its 
movements  smooth  and  easy.  The  motor  consists  of  four 
vertical  cylinders  cast  in  a  single  piece  with  the  water-jacket ; 
piston-rods,  bearings,  distributing  gear,  cams,  and  regulators 
being  enclosed  in  a  dust-proof  case  and  running  in  oil.  The 
inlet  valves  are  mechanically  operated  and  placed  on  the  top  of 
the  cylinders.  The  ignition  is  by  a  gear-driven  Simms-Bosch 
magneto  on  the  low-tension  system.     The  timing  of  the  ignition 


SOME   TYPES   OF   PETROL   CAR 


107 


is  regulated  by  a  lever  on  the  steering  wheel,  and  there  is  a 
special  arrangement  whereby  any  given  cylinder  can  be  cut  out 
of  the  electric  circuit  in  case  of  a  fault.  In  addition  to  the 
mechanical  control  of  the  spark  from  the  driver's  seat,  it  is 
automatically  advanced  and  retarded  in  accordance  with  the 
speed  of  the  engine,  so  that  even  in  careless  and  inexperienced 
hands  back-firing  is  impossible,  as  well  as  knocking  and  damag- 
ing the  engine  by  running  with  the  spark  too  far  advanced. 
The  carburettor,  of  the  spray  type,  is  quite  automatic  in  its 
action,  and  preserves  an  exact  balance  of  the  mixture  in  pro- 
portion to  the  speed  of  the  engine.  The  jet  of  petrol  is  pulver- 
ised by  a  double  current  of  air,  and  the  supply,  as  well  as  being 


DE   DIETRICH   CARBURETTOR 


automatically  governed,  can  be  throttled  by  hand  by  means  of 
a  lever  on  the  steering  wheel,  this,  as  in  the  case  of  the 
Mercedes,  ensuring  very  quiet  running  of  the  engine  at  low 
speeds. 

The  De  Dietrich  system  of  transmission  follows  the  standard 
practice ;  a  friction  clutch  mounted  on  a  sleeve  is  connected  to 
the  gear-box  by  means  of  a  universally  jointed  shaft,  and  four 
speeds  and  a  reverse  are  provided  in  the  usual  way  by  toothed 
wheels  of  different  sizes  on  the  engine-shaft  engaging  with 
corresponding  wheels  on  the  secondary  shaft.  The  secondary 
shaft  drives  to  the  differential  shaft  by  means  of  a  bevel  gear, 
and  the  motion  is  transmitted  to  the  road  wheels  by  side 
sprockets  and  chains.     Ball-bearing  thrust-blocks  are  employed 


108 


THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 


to  reduce  friction  to  a  minimum  ;  and  all  four  speeds  and  reverse 
are  controlled  by  a  single  lever  placed  in  a  quadrant  at  the 
driver's  right  hand.  A  drum  is  mounted  on  the  differential 
shaft  containing  a  powerful  expanding  brake  worked  by  a 
pedal,  and  the  brakes  on  the  drums  of  the  rear  wheels  are  of 
the  same  pattern.  The  whole  of  the  gear  mechanism  is  enclosed 
and  runs  in  oil.  The  case  enclosing  it  has  only  one  horizontal 
joint ;  and  when  the  upper  half  is  removed  the  shaft,  gearing, 
clutch,  and  differential  can  all  be  taken  out  without  any  further 
opening  up  of  the  mechanism.  This  accessibility  of  the  parts — 
a  very  important  point — is  carefully  studied  throughout  the  De 
Dietrich  car,  not  only  on  the  engine  itself,  but,  as  I  have  just 
shown,  in  the  gear-case  and  also  in  the  clutch  mechanism,  the 


*CIU»TlNG_UVTB 
TOP    BRXE    SHOE 


•  OjUSIJNCUNK 


DE   DIETRICH   EXPANDING   BRAKE 


clutch  spring  being  situated  immediately  beneath  the  footboard, 
where  it  is  within  reach  at  once. 

The  cooling  of  the  engine  is  by  means  of  a  large  centrifugal 
pump  driving  water  from  a  tank  on  the  dashboard  through  the 
cylinder  jackets  and  a  large  tubular  radiator  placed  in  front 
of  the  bonnet.  It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  the  Dietrich  Company 
have  refused  to  follow  two  of  the  principal  fashions  in  motor- 
car construction  prevailing  at  present — the  honeycomb  radiator, 
and  the  direct  drive  on  the  top  speed — and  that  they  have 
rejected  these  devices  solely  because  they  claim  better  results 
for  the  older  systems.  Much  of  the  success  of  their  water- 
cooling  system,  however,  is  due  to  the  exceptionally  large  gauge 
of  piping  employed  in  it,  and  also  to  the  fact  that,  although 
circulation  is  promoted  by  means  of  a  large  centrifugal  pump, 
it  is  so  arranged  that,  should  the  pump  fail,  circulation  will  be 


DE   DIETRICH    CLUTCH    SPRING   AND   CLUTCH    MECHANISM, 
SHOWING   UNIVERSALLY-POINTED   SHAFT 


^ 


110  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

maintained  on  the  thermo-syphon  system.  It  is  claimed  that 
the  car  can  be  run  i,ooo  miles  with  the  loss  of  less  than  half  a 
pint  of  water.  The  water-jackets  of  the  cylinders  are  fitted 
with  taps  out  of  which  the  whole  of  the  water  surrounding  the 
cylinders  can  be  drained.  It  need  hardly  be  said  that  such 
a  matter  as  lubrication  is  very  carefully  and  exactly  worked 
out,  the  lubrication  of  the  engine  being  secured  by  an  auto- 
matic drive,  which  supplies  oil  in  exact  proportion  to  the 
needs  of  the  engine  according  to  the  speed  at  which  it  is 
running. 

A  close  examination  of  the  De  Dietrich  car  is  in  itself  an 
education  in  the  scientific  adjustment  of  weight  and  strength. 
The  accompanying  illustration,  for  example,  might  surprise  the 
amateur,  because  of  the  apparently  excessive  size  and  strength 
of  the  rear  springs  and  the  apparently  insufficient  weight  and 
strength  of  the  rear  axle.  Yet  this  rear  axle  is  one  of  the 
strongest  used  in  motor-car  construction,  and  the  suspension 
of  the  De  Dietrich  car  is  remarkable  for  its  lightness  and 
comfort.  The  design  of  the  rear  axle  shows  how  carefully 
strength  has  been  concentrated  on  the  point  on  which  the  chief 
strains  are  thrown,  and  weight  economised  where  strength  is 
not  so  much  needed.  The  De  Dietrich  cars  are  supplied  in 
various  forms  and  with  engines  of  12,  16,  24,  35  nominal  h.p. ; 
the  effective  h.p.  of  these  being  about  14,  18,  28,  and  40  h.p. 
respectively. 


THE    WOLSELEY    CAR 

The  cars  made  by  the  Wolseley  Tool  and  Motor-Car  Company, 
Limited,  are  typical  throughout  of  English  rather  than  of  Con- 
tinental engineering  practice.  They  have  earned  golden  opinions 
for  their  power,  simplicity,  and  freedom  from  breakdown ;  while 
almost  alone  among  motor-cars  constructed  by  makers  of  repute, 
they  represent  the  really  practical  touring-car  which  is  sold  at 
something  like  a  moderate  price.  They  are  equipped  with 
engines  of  6,  8,  12,  16,  24,  and  32  h.p.;  the  6  h.p.  car  is 
dealt  with  in  the  chapter  on  light  cars,  while  the  8,  12,  and 
24  h.p.  cars  are  the  most  popular  among  private  users.  The 
1 2  h.p,  car,  which  is  sold  complete  at  ^400,  is  among  the  best  of 


SOME   TYPES   OF   PETROL   CAR  111 

value  in  English-built  motor-cars  that  can  be  obtained  for  that 
sum. 

The  Wolseley  principles  of  construction  are  in  many  respects 
unique.  The  engine,  instead  of  being  placed  vertically  under 
a  bonnet  in  front  of  the  car,  lies  horizontally  immediately  in 
front  of  the  dashboard,  the  crank  shaft  being  parallel  with 
the  axles  of  the  road  wheels,  and  therefore  involving  less  loss  in 
transmission  than  is  the  case  with  motors  which  transmit  their 
power  through  a  right  angle.  Moreover,  less  head  room  is 
needed  for  the  horizontal  position,  and  the  space  thus  saved 
is  utilised  for  water  and  petrol  tanks.  In  the  cars  of  8  and 
12  h.p.  the  engine  consists  of  two  cylinders  lying  side  by  side  ; 
in  the  larger  cars  four  cylinders  are  used,  which  are.  arranged  in 
opposed  pairs.  The  cylinders  consist  of  two  separate  parts. 
The  body  of  the  cylinder  proper  is  a  cast-iron  liner  fitting  into 
the  aluminium  crank  chamber  and  water-jacket.  The  head — 
containing  the  vertical  valves  and  ignition-plug — is  a  separate 
casting,  with  a  separate  water-jacket,  and  is  bolted  to  the 
aluminium  casting.  The  crank  chamber  is  fitted  with  an  in- 
spection cover  and  also  with  an  aperture  covered  with  gauze, 
through  which  the  air  is  allowed  to  circulate.  The  inlet  valves 
are  automatic,  and  the  exhaust  valves  are  operated  by  cams 
on  a  cam  shaft  situated  immediately  beneath  the  crank  shaft, 
and  driven  from  it  by  means  of  spur  wheels.  Arrangements 
are  made  to  prevent  oil  in  the  crank  chamber  from  escaping 
.along  the  levers  and  shafts.  An  arrangement  is  also  fitted 
by  which  additional  cams  are  brought  into  play  on  the  starting 
up  of  the  engine  to  relieve  the  compression  in  the  cylinders  by 
means  of  a  lift  upon  the  exhaust  valves. 

The  horizontal  position  of  the  engine,  and  the  fact  that  the 
crank  shaft  lies  across  the  frame,  brings  the  starting  handle 
to  the  side  of  the  car  instead  of  in  front  of  it.  The  starting 
handle,  which  is  inserted  in  a  fitting  just  under  the  dashboard, 
engages  with  the  crank  shaft  itself,  and  close  to  it  a  handle 
is  provided  for  bringing  into  action  the  half-compression  cam. 
A  special  type  of  radiator  is  used  on  the  Wolseley  cars.  This 
consists  of  a  series  of  radiator  pipes,  stepped  in  the  manner 
shown  in  the  illustration,  which  communicate  with  side  tanks  or 
bottles  containing  the  main  supply  of  water.  A  large  rotary 
pump   is   driven  direct  from   the  cam   shaft   by  gears.     It  is 


112  THE   COMPLETE   MOTOUIST 

situated  at  the  lowest  point  of  the  cooling  system  ;  and  as  the 
whole  of  the  radiators  and  tanks  are  at  some  height  above 
the  motor,  automatic  circulation  is  maintained  in  the  event 
of  the  pump  breaking  down.  The  ignition  is  on  the  ordinary 
high-tension  system,  and  the  commutator  is  conveniently 
placed  at  the  side  of  the  car  near  the  starting  handle, 
the  timing  of  the  spark  being  varied  by  a  movement  of  the 
commutator  by  means  of  rods  and  levers  from  the  steering 
pillar.  The  ordinary  splash  system  of  lubrication  is  not  adopted 
on  these  cars,  and  in  any  case  the  horizontal  position  of  the 
engine  makes  splash  lubrication  almost  impossible.  Independent 
pipes,  therefore,  lead  from  a  lubricator  on  the  dashboard  to  all 
the  main  bearings,  and  the  centrifugal  motion  imparted  by  the 
crank  shaft  to  the  oil,  combined  with  a  system  of  channels  and 
leads,  is  relied  upon  to  effect  the  lubrication  of  the  big-ends. 
Grease  cups  are  fitted  to  the  clutch,  steering  pivots,  pump,  and 
other  parts  which  do  not  require  a  constant  feed  of  oil.  The 
petrol  tank  is  situated  in  front  of  the  dashboard,  and  a  glass  gauge 
is  fitted  to  indicate  the  level ;  in  case  of  breakage,  this  gauge  can 
be  cut  out  by  means  of  a  three-way  cock.  The  carburettor 
is  of  the  float-feed  and  spray  type,  and  is  regulated  by  means 
of  a  specially  designed  throttle  which,  besides  controlling  the 
mixture  supply  to  the  engine,  adjusts  the  amount  of  air  admitted 
to  the  carburettor.  It  is  operated  both  by  a  lever  on  the  steer- 
ing post  and  by  the  brake  pedal. 

The  Wolseley  transmission  is  greatly  simplified  by  the  parallel 
position  of  the  crank  shaft  and  road-wheel  axles.  A  cone- 
clutch  is  mounted  on  the  outer  end  of  the  crank  shaft  to  the 
extreme  right  of  the  chassis  under  the  dashboard,  and  just 
outside  the  heavy  fly-wheel.  From  the  clutch  to  the  first- 
motion  shaft  of  the  gear-box,  which  lies  across  the  chassis  just 
to  the  rear  of  the  crank  shaft,  the  transmission  is  by  means 
of  a  Renolds  silent  chain  ;  the  gear-box  itself,  as  will  be  seen 
from  the  illustration,  is  a  comparatively  simple  one,  the  changes 
of  speed  being  obtained  by  sliding  gear-wheels.  The  gear-box 
is  directly  combined  with  the  differential  shaft,  from  the  ends 
of  which  roller  chains  lead  to  the  driving  wheels  in  the  usual 
way.  There  is  thus  what  is  practically  a  direct  drive  on  all 
speeds.  One  lever  controls  all  four  speeds  and  a  reverse.  A 
patent  catch  on  the  lever  makes  each  movement  single  and 


12-H.P.    DASHBOARD,    SHOWING   LUBRICATOR     PETROL   GAUGE   AND   CONTROL 


REAR   HALF   OF   WOLSELEV  GEAR   BOX 


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SOME   TYPES   OF   PETROL   CAR  113 

positive,  so  that  it  is  impossible  for  the  driver  accidentally  to 
overrun  one  position  of  the  lever  and  to  put  in  a  higher  speed 
than  he  intends. 

The  brake  system  on  the  Wolseley  cars  differs  from  ordinary 
practice  in  that  there  is  no  brake  acting  on  any  of  the  gear 
shafts,  the  whole  of  the  brake  power  being  applied  to  the  hubs 
of  the  road  wheels.  The  foot  pedal  operates  an  internal  ex- 
panding brake  on  these  hubs,  while  the  hand  lever  applies  an 
external  band  brake  to  them.  It  must  be  remembered,  how- 
ever, that  many  cars  possess  both  these  brakes,  with  a  brake 
on  the  differential  in  addition ;  and  I  am  not  sure  that  the 
designer  of  the  Wolseley  cars  is  right  in  abandoning  this 
additional  safeguard.  The  steering  gear  is  of  the  worm  pattern, 
the  usual  self-locking  arrangement  being  fitted.  The  frames 
of  the  Wolseley  cars  are  of  pressed  steel ;  and  as  the  firm  is  in 
association  with  Messrs.  Vickers,  Sons,  and  Maxim,  it  may  be 
taken  for  granted  that  such  important  parts  as  frames,  axles, 
and  crank  shafts,  which  are  supplied  by  Messrs.  Vickers,  are 
of  the  very  highest  quality.  The  fact  that  two  Wolseley  racing 
cars  of  72  h.p  and  96  h.p.  respectively  were  chosen  to  represent 
Great  Britain  in  the  Gordon-Bennett  Cup  Race  for  1904,  and 
that  both  completed  the  course  in  very  fast  time,  is  an  evidence 
of  excellence  both  in  design  and  workmanship. 

THE   RENAULT   CAR 

The  cars  manufactured  by  Messrs.  Renault  Freres  are  in- 
teresting not  only  on  account  of  certain  originalities  in  the 
design  of  their  mechanism,  but  also  because  of  their  consistent 
successes  every  year  since  1899  in  some  of  the  principal 
road  races  held  on  the  Continent.  Outwardly  the  Renault  cars 
do  not  seem  to  differ  greatly  from  the  standard  type  of  modern 
automobile ;  but  an  examination  of  their  mechanism  reveals 
numberless  small  points  that  are  either  different  from  standard 
practice,  or  remind  us  that  Messrs.  Renault  have  been  the 
pioneers  in  certain  principles  and  devices  which  are  now  being 
adopted  on  an  increasing  number  of  other  cars.  Messrs. 
Renault  were  the  first  to  apply  the  propellor  shaft  and  live 
rear  axle  as  a  principle  of  transmission,  and  in  this  they  have 
now  many  followers.  Their  cars  are  now  made  in  three  sizes ; 
I 


114  THE   COMPLETE    MOTORIST 

the  7  h.p.  car  has  a  single-cyhnder  engine  having  two  balanced 
fly-wheels,  one  fixed  within  the  engine  casing,  and  the  other 
externally,  in  conjunction  with  the  friction  clutch.  An  auto- 
matic inlet  valve  is  used,  and  a  centrifugal  governor  acts  upon 
the  admission,  an  accelerator  pedal  being  provided  to  throw 
off  the  action  of  the  governor.  The  lo  h.p.  car  has  a  two- 
cylinder  engine,  also  with  automatic  valves,  the  control  of 
engine  speed  being  obtained  by  a  patent  arrangement  for 
varying  the  tension  of  the  inlet-valve  springs.  On  both  these 
cars  the  ignition  is  on  the  high-tension  system,  the  current 
being  supplied  by  accumulators.  On  the  14  h.p.  car,  which 
embodies  all  the  special  features  of  Renault  construction,  a 
four-cylinder  motor  is  used,  the  inlet  valves  in  this  case  being 
mechanically  operated  and  provided  with  a  special  device 
whereby  the  load  can  be  varied.  This  progressive  distribution 
of  the  four  inlet  valves  allows  of  great  variation  of  power,  and 
extends  the  range  of  the  motor  considerably.  Both  inlet  and 
exhaust  valves  are  operated  from  the  same  cam  shaft.  Lubri- 
cation is  mechanical  and  automatic.  The  outer  end  of  the 
motor  shaft  is  provided  with  a  screw  ;  this  drives  a  worm  which, 
by  means  of  a  connecting  link,  operates  the  lubricator  on  the 
dashboard  of  the  carriage.  The  oil  in  the  crank  case  is  forced 
up  by  the  rotation  of  the  cranks  into  channels  in  the  upper 
section  of  the  gear-case,  then  flows  into  receptacles  placed 
above  each  bearing.  From  these  it  passes  into  rings  having 
annular  grooves  which  > communicate  with  the  crank  heads 
through  holes  bored  in  the  crank  shaft. 

The  water-cooling  system  of  the  Renault  cars  is  quite 
unique.  In  earlier  patterns  the  gilled  radiators  were  placed 
on  each  side  of  the  bonnet,  but  this  position  was  found  to 
interfere  with  the  accessibility  of  working  parts.  A  cooling 
apparatus  has  now  been  fitted  behind  the  bonnet  and  in  front 
of  the  dashboard.  It  consists  of  two  tanks  connected  by  a 
double  row  of  vertical  radiators,  a  free  space  being  left  between 
them  and  the  dashboard.  The  shape  of  the  bonnet  has  been 
designed  so  as  to  cover  the  mechanical  parts  of  it  and  yet  leave 
the  two  upper  angles  of  the  cooling  apparatus  open  to  the  air 
on  either  side.  The  bonnet  is  entirely  closed,  and  the  under 
part  of  the  motor  is  encased  by  a  metal  apron  ;  a  thoroughly 
enclosed  chamber  is  thus  formed.    In  this  chamber  a  fan,  which 


I  H  I'.     k|-..\AI    1,1     I  HA>M>.     KKAK     \  1 K  W 


SOME   TYPES   OF   PETROL   CAR  115 

forms  part  of  the  fly-wheel,  tends  to  create  a  vacuum,  and  the 
outside  air  is  drawn  in  and  passes  through  the  double  row 
of  gilled  pipes.  The  air  fills  up  the  free  space  between  the 
radiators  and  the  dashboard,  whence  it  crosses  the  radiators 
a  second  time,  travels  through  the  covered-in  chamber,  and 
escapes  beneath  the  car  through  the  leaves  of  the  fan.  The 
speed  of  the  fan  being  equal  to  that  of  the  motor,  a  very  great 
quantity  of  air  is  constantly  being  passed  through  the  radiators ; 
so  much  that  even  when  the  car  is  standing  the  water  never 
reaches  lOO  degrees  of  heat.  In  addition,  the  thermo-syphon 
system  of  circulation  is  adopted.  The  course  of  the  water  is 
from  the  cooler  to  the  engine  casing,  where,  as  it  increases  in 
temperature,  it  rises  to  the  upper  parts  of  the  cylinder  heads, 
and  thence  passes  into  a  collector.  From  the  collector  it  rises 
up  towards  the  upper  tank  of  the  cooler,  and  is  there  replaced 
by  an  equal  quantity  of  cold  water  coming  from  the  lower  tank. 
As  it  cools  it  descends  and  goes  through  the  two  rows  of  gilled 
pipes,  where  it  is  submitted  to  the  extremely  rapid  air  circula- 
tion just  described.  In  this  way  it  gradually  descends  until 
it  occupies  again  the  lower  part  of  the  cooling  apparatus,  to 
start  anew  through  the  foot  of  the  cylinder  casing,  and  then 
begin  to  rise  as  it  becomes  heated.  On  the  14  h.p.  car,  both 
the  Simms-Bosch  magneto  and  the  high-tension  ignition  are 
fitted,  a  switch  being  conveniently  placed,  by  means  of  which 
either  can  be  brought  into  use. 

The  transmission  on  the  Renault  cars  is  through  a  friction 
clutch  acting  on  a  cone  inside  the  fly-wheel.  Spring  pallets  are 
inserted  under  the  friction  leather,  and  the  thrust  on  each  side 
is  taken  up  by  ball  bearings.  Close  behind  the  clutch  is  the 
change-speed  gear,  which  gives  three  forward  speeds  and  one 
reverse.  The  gear  is  of  the  sliding-spur  type,  but  embodies 
many  details  of  great  originality.  The  spur  wheels  on  the 
second-motion  shaft  are  mounted  eccentrically  on  the  gear-box 
and  are  drawn  in  or  out  of  mesh  by  means  of  a  toothed  rack 
which  causes  another  spur-wheel  to  rotate  the  shaft  on  which 
they  revolve.  The  mechanism  for  changing  the  gear  auto- 
matically draws  them  out  of  mesh  before  the  sliding  wheels  on 
the  main  shaft  are  moved  to  a  new  position,  and  then  brings 
them  back  again  into  engagement  with  the  required  wheel. 
The  result  is  a  very  smooth  change,  and  the  missing  of  a  gear 


116  THE   COMPLETE    MOTORIST 

by  an  inexpert  operator  is  almost  impossible.  From  the  gear- 
box the  drive  is  by  a  universally-jointed  shaft  to  the  differential 
on  the  rear  axle ;  and  on  the  top  speed  the  drive  is  direct,  the 
second-motion  shaft  then  lying  idle.  This  principle  of  trans- 
mission was  originated  in  the  Renault  cars,  and  has  been  very 
largely  copied. 

The  usual  brakes,  of  the  expanding  type,  are  provided,  the 
pedal  brake  acting  direct  upon  the  driving  shaft.  The  Renault 
chassis,  unlike  that  of  most  other  cars  of  equal  power,  is  con- 
structed of  seamless  tubing  of  large  diameter  fitted  with  two 
tie-rods  to  prevent  deflection.  No  bolts  or  rivets  are  used,  but 
all  joints  are  brazed,  the  whole  being  thus  formed  into  one  solid 
frame.  The  motor  itself  is  mounted  on  a  special  small  frame 
of  tubing  which  is  placed  within  the  main  chassis. 

THE   DURYEA   CAR 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  illustrations  that  the  "  Duryea  Power 
Carriages,"  as  the  motor-cars  constructed  by  the  Duryea  Com- 
pany are  called,  are  entirely  different  in  design  from  any  other 
motor-car.  A  great  deal  of  ingenuity  has  been  brought  to  bear 
on  their  construction,  and  no  small  effort  has  been  directed  to 
produce  in  them  vehicles  built  on  sound  scientific  lines  with 
regard  to  the  work  which  they  have  to  do. 

The  illustration  of  the  complete  vehicle  shows  how  successful 
the  designer  of  these  carriages  has  been  in  banishing  from  them 
all  external  evidences  of  their  motor  machinery  ;  in  fact,  there  is 
something  so  mysterious  about  these  cars  that  the  novice  would 
have  some  difficulty  in  guessing  the  position  and  nature  of  the 
engine  employed.  The  correct  disposition  of  weight  has  been 
carefully  studied  ;  it  is  placed  near  the  driving  wheels,  which 
carry  the  main  load  of  the  vehicle,  and  close  to  its  work  ;  and  in 
these  particulars  it  differs  widely  from  the  ordinary  motor-car, 
in  which  the  engine  is  placed  at  the  farthest  possible  distance 
from  its  work.  The  loss  of  power  in  transmission,  which  is  a 
serious  mechanical  defect  in  most  motor-cars,  is  reduced  to  a 
minimum  by  the  avoidance  of  the  ordinary  wheel  gearing  and 
intermediate  shafts  and  bearings,  the  driving  of  the  rear  wheels 
being  direct  through  a  powerful  chain  and  live  axle.  Great 
care   has  also   been    displayed    in    the   steering  arrangements, 


SOME   TYPES   OF   PETROL   CAR 


117 


which  again  are  quite  different  from  those  in  any  other  system. 
The  incHnation  of  the  steering  centres  results  in  the  absorption 
of  all  road  shocks  (which  tend  to  deflect  the  wheel)  at  the  tyre, 
and  thus  relieves  the  steering  connections  from   all  compres- 


PLAN    AND   ELEVATION    OF    DURYEA   CHASSIS 


A- 

BB- 

C- 

DD- 

E 

FF- 

G- 

HH- 

II- 

JJ- 
K- 
L- 
M- 
N- 
O- 
P- 

Q- 


-Seat  Frame. 

-Springs. 

-Brackets. 

-Head  Lugs. 

-Axle. 

-Tubular  Supports  to  Axle. 

-Steering  Post. 

-Arms  on  Steering  Post. 

-Steering  Rods. 

-Steering  Arms. 

-Steering  Connections. 

-Tiller. 

-Seat  Frame. 

-Engine. 

-Power  Drum. 

-Bearing  for  Power  Drum. 

-Fly-wheel. 


R — Chain. 

S — -Differential. 
T— Back  Axle. 
U — Twisting  Grip  on  Steering  Handle. 

V — Throttle  Lever. 
W — Carburettor. 
X— Clutch  Handle. 
Y — Reversing  Handle. 

Z — Brakes. 

Al — Differential  Brake. 

Bl — Differential  Brake  Lever. 

Cl— Driving  Wheels. 

Dl — Steering  Wheels. 

El — Gear-driven  Pump. 

Fl— Water  Tank. 

01 — Radiator. 


118  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

sional  strains.  This  prevents  any  tendency  to  reverse  the  steer- 
ing, and  does  away  with  the  necessity  for  the  use  of  heavy 
worm  gearing.  The  steering  post,  being  situated  in  the  middle 
of  the  car,  and  the  steering  tiller  available  on  either  side,  it  is 
possible  for  the  driver  to  sit  either  on  the  right-hand  or  left- 
hand  side  of  the  car,  although  I  doubt  whether  there  is  any 
great  practical  advantage  in  this.  The  control  is  extremely 
simple  and  ingenious,  the  engine  being  so  elastic  that  the  car 
can  be  almost  entirely  driven  on  the  top  speed  (a  direct  drive) ; 
and  the  throttling  of  the  engine  effected  by  a  slight  wrist  move- 
ment of  the  twisting  grip  on  the  tiller.  Gear  changing  is  only 
necessary  for  the  surmounting  of  exceptionally  steep  hills  or  for 
reversing  ;  and  this  is  effected  by  the  use  of  epicyclic  gear  which 
is  always  in  mesh,  the  gearing  simply  coming  into  action  when 
required  from  a  state  of  inactivity. 

The  engine  itself  is  a  horizontal  three-cylinder  motor,  giving 
either  12  h.p.  or  15  h.p.,  according  to  the  speed  at  which  it  is 
run.  The  bore  and  stroke  are  alike,  viz.  4^  inches,  the  12  h.p. 
giving  its  power  at  600  revolutions,  and  the  15  h.p.  engine  at 
750  revolutions.  The  cranks  are  set  at  an  angle  of  120  degrees, 
and  the  crank-axle  is  set  slightly  in  advance  of  the  cylinder 
axis,  the  purpose  being  to  reduce  the  angularity  of  the  thrust, 
and  to  get  an  almost  direct  impulse  on  the  driving  stroke. 
The  three  cylinders,  with  their  cylinder  heads  and  water-jacket, 
are  cast  in  one  piece  without  any  joints,  and  are  bolted  down  to 
a  strong  aluminium  crank  case.  This  has  a  removable  cover 
secured  by  bolts,  so  that,  should  it  be  required  to  take  out  the 
pistons,  the  removal  of  eight  nuts  allows  the  cover,  with  all  the 
valve  gear  of  the  engine  undisturbed,  to  be  bodily  removed  and 
easily  replaced.  Both  inlet  and  exhaust  valves  are  placed 
horizontally  in  the  cylinder  head,  the  inlet  valves  opening  into 
a  single  inlet  pipe  which  crosses  the  top  of  the  engine,  and 
the  exhaust  valves  opening  into  another  pipe  which  crosses  the 
bottom  of  the  engine,  receiving  a  lead  from  each  cylinder.  The 
valve  seats,  which  are  entirely  surrounded  by  water-jackets,  are 
detachable  with  the  valves  ;  the  removal  of  one  nut  and  the  bolt 
of  the  tappet  rod  allows  the  seat  to  be  withdrawn  with  its  valve 
and  spring  in  position.  All  six  valves  are  interchangeable  and 
mechanically  operated  by  rods  worked  from  a  cam  shaft  which 
is  geared  at  half-time  from  the  crank-axle.     The  removal  of  an 


SOME   TYPES   OF   PETROL   CAR  119 

inspection  cover  exposes  all  six  to  view  at  the  same  time.  The 
carburettor  is  of  the  float  chamber  and  spray  type,  the  mixing 
chamber  containing  a  piston,  the  suction  of  which,  by  the  in- 
spiration of  the  engine,  not  only  regulates  the  amount  of  mix- 
ture passed  to  the  feed  pipe,  but  also  automatically  increases  or 
decreases  the  area  of  the  air  passage  past  the  jet,  and  so  secures 
a  mixture  properly  proportional  at  all  times  to  the  needs  of  the 
engine  and  securing  absolutely  perfect  combustion  at  all  speeds. 
The  feed  pipe  is  throttled  by  a  barrel  valve  and  regulates  the 
supply  to  the  engine  with  the  greatest  nicety. 

The  ignition  is  by  the  Duryea-Dawson  high-tension  magneto, 
driven  by  friction  off  the  half-time  shaft.  The  current  generated 
in  the  magneto  is  passed  through  a  coil,  and  supplied  to  the 
engine  through  ordinary  sparking  plugs.  However  slowly  the 
magneto  may  be  turned,  a  firing  spark  is  always  produced  ;  and 
the  sparking  is  automatically  governed — that  is  to  say,  it  is 
advanced  and  retarded,  as  the  speed  of  the  engine  rises  and 
falls,  without  any  action  on  the  part  of  the  driver. 

The  Duryea  cars  are  of  American  design,  and  were,  until 
1904,  made  only  in  America.  Now,  however,  they  are  built 
throughout  in  England  at  the  new  works  of  the  Duryea  Com- 
pany at  Coventry,  the  design  having  been  entirely  remodelled 
to  meet  European  requirements.  Those  who  attended  the  Irish 
trials  at  Dublin  and  Castlewellan  in  1903  will  remember  the 
successful  performance  of  a  10  h.p.  Duryea,  which  defeated 
cars  of  all  powers  up  to  30  h.p.,  and  made  better  time  than  half 
of  the  cars  costing  over  ;i^  1,000.  This  car  covered  the  flying 
kilometre  in  Phoenix  Park  at  a  speed  of  over  forty-four  miles 
per  hour,  and  in  the  hill-climbing  contests  at  Castlewellan  for 
the  Henry  Edmonds  Trophy,  which  was  run  over  a  gradient  of 
I  in  9,  not  only  finished  first  in  its  class,  but  came  within  a  few 
seconds  of  the  times  made  by  the  30  h.p,  racing  cars  in  the 
light  racing  section.  It  was  the  only  car  which  went  over  this 
steep  hill  on  the  top  speed  without  changing  gear.  These  per- 
formances cannot  but  be  regarded  as  remarkable  in  a  car 
designed  and  constructed  solely  for  simplicity  and  comfort. 


120  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 


THE    HUTTOX    CAR 

The  Hutton  car,  which  is  constructed  in  accordance  with  a 
number  of  patents  granted  to  Mr.  T.  W.  Barber,  M.I.M.E.,  has 
been  designed  with  a  view  to  provide  simpler  methods  of  con- 
trol for  the  mechanism  and  less  expenditure  of  physical  effort 
on  the  part  of  the  driver,  and  is  remarkable  for  the  ingenuity 
and  originality  displa}'ed  in  the  effort  to  secure  these  results. 
Unlike  the  Crossley,  it  is  interesting  chiefly  on  account  of  this 
quality  of  originality,  and  therefore  deserves  a  somewhat  full 
description.  The  use  of  hydraulics  in  the  control  of  the  Hutton 
car  is  an  entirely  new  departure,  the  aim  being  to  abolish  the 
physical  strain  incidental  to  the  driving  of  an  ordinary  high- 
powered  car,  so  that  a  person  deficient  in  physical  resource  may 
vary  the  speed  of  the  car,  and  apply  the  brakes  with  little  more 
than  the  movement  of  a  finger. 

The  concentration  of  all  the  means  of  control  on  the  steering 
wheel,  which  has  already  been  attempted  to  some  extent  in 
other  cars,  is  in  this  car  made  a  central  feature.  So  far  as 
general  construction  is  concerned,  standard  lines  are  followed. 
The  materials  used  are  claimed  to  be  the  very  finest  material 
obtainable  in  Great  Britain,  and  the  methods  of  construction 
are  in  accordance  with  the  very  latest  mechanical  knowledge. 

Fig.  I  shows  the  general  arrangement  of  the  chassis  of  the 
Hutton  car.  It  is  constructed  of  nickel  steel  members,  hydrau- 
lically  pressed  to  shape  and  riveted  together  at  the  cross  junc- 
tions with  gusset-plates.  The  springs  for  the  steering  axle  are 
provided  with  elastic  dumb  irons,  which  aid  considerably  in 
the  light  running  of  the  car.  Cross  members  are  placed  where 
the  twisting  strains,  due  to  the  attachments  of  the  springs,  are 
transmitted  to  the  frame  ;  and  this  provision  enables  the  frame 
to  be  constructed  to  a  very  light  section,  and  at  the  same  time 
considerably  increases  its  rigidity.  The  general  arrangement  of 
the  mechanism  of  the  car  may  also  be  gathered  from  this  illus- 
tration. 

Fig.  2  shows  a  side  elevation  of  the  20  h.p.  Standard  Hutton 
Engine.  This  has  four  cylinders,  cast  in  pairs ;  mechanically 
operated  inlet  valves,  which  are  placed  on  the  top  of  the 
cyhnder,  and  exhaust  valves  placed  in  the  usual  position  at  the 


mfw 


X 

w      < 

■^      a 


SOME   TYPES   OF   PETROL   CAR  121 

side.  The  ignition  is  low  tension,  and  the  current  is  obtained 
from  a  magneto.  All  the  movements  for  the  valves  and  sparking 
are  obtained  from  one  cam  shaft,  at  one  end  of  which  the 
governor  is  placed,  and  at  the  other  end  gear  wheels  for  obtain- 
ing motion  from  the  crank  shaft,  and  also  for  conveying  move- 
ment to  the  gear-driven  fan.  The  position  of  the  inlet  valves  is 
indicated  at  A  4,  the  exhaust  valves  at  A  5,  and  the  sparking 
mechanism  at  B  and  B  i. 

The  inlet  valves  are  provided  with  a  variable  lift  adjustment 
by  means  of  eccentrics  operated  from  a  rocking  arm  (A3)  on  a 
shaft  (A  2).  Means  are  also  provided  to  advance  and  retard 
the  time  of  sparking.  The  fan  is  shown  at  G,  and  the  governor 
at  H.  The  engine  and  its  entire  accessory  mechanism  are 
carried  elastically  on  the  frame  of  the  car  by  springs  which  fit 
into  sockets  K.  By  this  means  the  engine  is  freed  from  the 
stresses  due  to  distortion  of  the  frame  of  the  car,  and  the  neces- 
sity for  a  flexible  connection  between  the  clutch  and  gear-box  is 
eliminated. 

Fig.  3  shows  a  sectional  elevation  of  the  carburettor.  This 
carburettor  is  controlled  direct  from  the  governor  in  such  a 
manner  that  the  richness  of  the  explosive  mixture  is  varied 
automatically  according  to  the  speed  of  the  engine  and  the 
power  required.  This  is  accomplished  in  the  following  manner  : 
The  body  of  the  carburettor  (6)  contains  an  annular  float  (7) 
surrounding  the  jet,  which  is  in  the  centre  of  an  induction  tube 
(4).  This  induction  tube,  which  is  perforated  in  the  end  adjacent 
to  the  jet  (3),  projects  into  the  main  induction  pipe  (18)  of  the 
engine.  Sliding  on  the  induction  tube  is  a  throttle-collar  (5) 
operated  by  means  of  a  rocking  lever  (17),  which  is  coupled  to 
the  governor.  As  shown  in  the  drawing,  this  collar  has  shut 
off"  all  access  to  the  induction  tube  orifices  (3),  at  the  same  time 
leaving  a  full  passage  for  air  up  the  main  induction  pipe  ;  and 
this  is  the  position  which  the  collar  would  assume  if  the  engine 
tended  to  race  or  was  set  by  hand  to  run  at  the  minimum 
speed. 

When  the  engine  is  started,  the  governor  raises  the  collar  to 
its  highest  position,  and  it  will  then  prevent  air  passing  direct 
into  the  main  induction  pipe.  All  the  air  will  then  pass  through 
the  induction  tube  orifices,  and  thus  supply  the  engine  with 
a  rich  explosive   mixture   for  starting.     As  the  engine  speed 


122 


THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 


increases,  the  governor  lowers  the  collar  ;  air  is  then  admitted 
direct  into  the  main  induction  pipe,  thus  gradually  reducing  the 
strength  of  the  mixture  until  the  correct  proportions  of  petrol  and 
air  are  obtained  for  the  speed  and  power  required  of  the  engine. 
Acceleration  or  retardation  of  the  engine  is  obtained  in  the 
usual    way    by    the    interposition    of   a    spring    actuated    from 


1 — Dome  to  the  Carburettor. 

2 — Jet  Chamber. 

3 — Induction  Ports. 

4 — Jet  Chamber. 

5 — Air-regulating  Valve. 

(5 — Float  feeder  Chamber. 

7— Float. 

8— Guide  to  Float. 

9 — Pivoted    Lever   giving    move- 
ment to  Petrol  Feed  Valve. 
10 — Fulcrum  to  which  9  is  connect- 
11- — Petrol  Supply  Valve.  [ed. 

12— Seat  for  11. 
13 — Filter  Tank  to  Carburettor. 
14 — Wire-gauze  Strainer. 
15 — Screw  Plug  in  bottom  of  Filter. 
1(5 — Overflow  Pipe  from  Carburet- 
tor. 
17 — Rocking  Lever  operating  the 

Throttle  Valve  i>. 
IS — Induction  Tube. 
19 — Air-inlet  Pipe. 


SECTIONAL   ELEVATION    OF   THE   HUTTON    CARHURETTOR 


'(o;; 


1  p 

15 


13 


the  dashboard  and  operating  against  the  governor.  Below  the 
carburettor  a  water-separator  (13)  is  attached.  The  petrol  is 
admitted  near  the  top  of  this  separator,  and  passes  upward 
through  the  gauze  filter  (14)  into  the  carburettor;  particles 
of  water  and  dirt  are  intercepted  by  this  gauze  and  gravitate  to 
the  bottom  of  the  separator,  from  which  they  can  be  drawn 
off  through  the  tap  at  any  convenient  time.  Hot  air  is  supplied 
to  the  carburettor  through  the  orifice  (19);  this  is  obtained  in 


HG.    4 

VIEW  OF  THE   HUTTON   RADIATOR 


DETAILS   OF    HUTTON    CLUTCH 


SOME   TYPES   OF   PETROL   CAR  123 

the  usual  manner  by  surrounding  a  portion  of  the  exhaust  pipe 
of  the  engine  with  a  tube  leading  to  the  carburettor. 

Fig.  4  shows  the  radiator.  The  chief  feature  of  this  is  the 
use  of  the  bent  tube,  which  gives  the  radiator  an  efficiency 
equal  to  nearly  three  times  that  which  it  would  have  if  straight 
tubes  were  used.  This  form  of  tube  affords  a  free  passage  to  the 
circulation  of  the  water,  and  is  not  at  all  liable  to  be  choked  up 
with  sediment.  It  is  constructed  entirely  of  aluminium.  The 
end  receivers  are  aluminium  castings,  and  the  tubes  are  drawn 
aluminium  ;  and  the  weight  of  the  radiator  is  said  to  be  less 
than  half  that  of  any  other  radiator  of  equal  efficiency. 

The  metal  clutch  (Fig.  5),  which  transmits  the  power  from  the 
engine  to  the  gear  shaft,  is  constructed  with  a  cast-iron  ring  (B) 
attached  to  the  fly-wheel,  and  is  provided  with  grooves  similar 
to  grooves  turned  in  the  split  rings  (B),  which  form  the  expand- 
ing portion  of  the  clutch.  These  rings  are  operated  by  means 
of  wedges  (B  6),  which  are  advanced  and  retreated  by  levers 
(B  7)  and  screws  (B  5),  the  latter  working  in  spherical  nuts 
(B  4).  These  levers  are  moved  backwards  and  forwards  by 
means  of  a  sleeve  (B  9)  on  the  shaft,  operated  in  the  usual 
manner  with  a  forked  arm.  The  spring  (B  10)  is  adjustable, 
and  the  clutch  is 'controlled  in  the  usual  way  by  a  foot  lever. 
The  adjustment  for  wear  is  very  easily  and  quickly  accom- 
plished by  means  of  two  set  screws  (B  12),  which  project  into 
cavities,  a  number  of  which  are  formed  in  the  sides  of  the 
spherical  nuts  (B  4).  All  that  is  necessary  to  take  up  the  wear 
of  the  clutch  is  to  slacken  back  these  set  screws  and  rotate  the 
nuts  until  the  next  cavities  register  with  the  set  screws,  which  are 
then  tightened  up  again.  An  annular  chamber  is  provided  in  the 
outer  ring  to  carry  a  quantity  of  oil,  which  is  supplied  constantly 
to  the  clutch ;  and  the  effect  of  the  grooves  is  to  keep  the  whole 
of  the  working  surfaces  of  the  clutch  constantly  lubricated. 
This  causes  the  clutch  to  have  a  very  sweet  action,  and  relieves 
the  car  from  shock,  even  if  the  clutch  be  let  in  suddenly,  as 
may  be  sometimes  done. 

A  very  important  feature  of  the  Hutton  car  is  the  infinitely 
variable  speed  gear  (Fig.  6),  by  means  of  which  all  the  dis- 
advantages of  the  ordinary  fixed  gears  are  eliminated.  Figs.  7 
and  9  show  a  section  through  the  shaft,  eccentric  sheave,  and 
strap.     A  cross  section  of  these  parts  is  shown  in  Fig.  8,  Nos. 


124 


THE   COMPLETE    MOTORIST 


(13),  (16),  and  (18),  surrounded  by  the  rotating  portions  (i),  (3) 
and  (4)  of  the  gear.  In  these  illustrations  the  sheave  is  shown 
at  its  maximum  stroke.  The  variation  in  stroke  of  the  eccentric  is 
obtained  by  hydrmilic  presstire.  The  pressure  fluid  is  admitted 
through  the  centre  of  the  shaft  under  the  ram  (17),  which 
forces  the  sheave  and  strap  outwards  according  to  the  quantity 
of  fluid  admitted  to  the  cylinder. 

The  cylinder  is  formed  of  the  body  of  the  shaft  (21) — is,  in 
fact,  bored  out  of  the  cross-head,  which  rotates  the  sheave  and 


FIG.   7.       ELEVATION    OF    THE    HUTTON    GEAR 


111  1 — Side  Links  for  Toggles. 
•2  2  2  2— Toggle  Links. 

3  3  3  3— Outer  Toggles. 

4  4  4  4 — Inner  Toggles. 


5  and  6  repeated — Pins  for  Springs  as  shown 

by  7. 
7 — Spiral  Spring  to  Toggles. 
8— Shaft. 


upon  which  the  sheave  slides.  In  Fig.  7  the  eccentric  strap  is 
shown  with  links  (i)  attached  to  the  lugs.  The  other  ends 
of  the  links  are  attached  to  toggles  (2),  which  form  a  connection 
between  shoes  (3)  and  (4)  operating  on  either  side  of  rings 
provided  on  the  rotating  portion  of  the  gear.  The  effect 
of  this  toggle  movement  is  that  a  species  of  free-wheel  con- 
struction is  obtained,  so  that  when  the  links  move  in  one 
direction,  the  shoes  are  caused  to  grip  the  rings  on  the  periphery 
of  the  gear  and  the  whole  rotates ;  while  when  they  move  in 


SOME  TYPES  OF  PETROL  CAR 


125 


the  other  direction  the  shoes  are  disengaged  and  sHde  back 
freely  on  the  rings.  When  the  eccentric  is  quite  central,  no 
movement  is  conveyed  to  the  strap,  but  as  soon  as  a  small 
amount  of  eccentricity  is  given  to  the  sheave,  the  strap  gyrates 
and  each  of  the  lugs  on  the  strap  describes  a  circular  move- 
ment, corresponding  with  that  of  the  eccentricity  of  the  sheave. 


FIG.  8.       SECTION    OF   THE    HUTTON   GEAR. 


a  2— Case  for  Middle  Toggles. 
3  4 — Case  for  Side  Toggles. 

5— Middle  Toggles. 
6  0 — Outside  Toggles. 

7— Middle  Toggle  Link. 

8  S — Side  Toggle  Links. 

9  9- — Inside  Toggles. 

10  10— Middle  Inside  Toggles. 

11  11— Middle  Inside  Toggle  Links. 

12  12— Outside  Toggle  Links. 


13 — Eccentric  Outer  Case. 
14— Outer  Ring  for  Ball  Race. 
15 — Locking  Ring  for  Outer  Ball  Race. 
16 — Eccentric. 
17— Piston. 
18 — Nuts  for  Piston. 
19— Inner  Ball  Race. 
20  20— Shaft  Bearing. 
21— Shaft. 


The  greater  the  eccentricity  of  the  sheave  the  greater  the 
circular  movement  of  the  lugs,  and  consequently  the  more 
reciprocating  movement  is  communicated  to  the  links  and 
through  them  to  the  periphery  of  the  gear.  The  provision  of 
large  ball  bearings  between  the  sheave  and  the  strap  at  (14)  and 
(19),  Fig.  9,  reduces  the  friction  in  this  gear  to  a  minimum,  and 


126 


THE  completb:  motorist 


the  provision  of  large  wearing  surface  on  the  shoes  (3)  and  (4) 
and  large-diameter  pins  reduces  the  wear  and  tear  to  negligible 
amount. 

The  control  of  the  gear  is  effected  through  a  small  lever  on 
the  steering  wheel,  which  operates  inlet  and  exhaust  valves. 
The  inlet  valve  is  supplied  with  oil  from  an  accumulator  on 
the  dashboard,  in  such  a  manner  that  the  opening  of  the  valve 
admits  pressure  fluid  to  the  ram  (17)  in  the  gear,  and  thus 
increases  the  movement  of  the  gear  and  the  speed  of  the  car. 
The  opening  of  the  exhaust  valve  allows  the  pressure  fluid 
to  escape,  thus  decreasing  the  movement  of  the  gear,  and 
reducing  the  speed  of  the  car.     It  will,  of  course,  be  under- 


FIG.   9 

This  drawing  shows  the  detail  of  the  Ram  17  and  the  Eccentric  1(5  in  cross 
section.     It  is  a  transverse  section  through  the  Ram  and  Eccentric. 


stood  that  when  the  eccentric  is  at  the  centre  the  gear  is 
motionless  and  may  be  used  as  a  clutch  ;  and  it  is  therefore 
possible  to  do  away  with  the  clutch  on  a  car  provided  with  this 
gear.  This  will  eventually  be  done  in  the  Hutton  car,  but  in 
view  of  the  fact  that  so  many  drivers  are  accustomed  to  control 
their  cars  largely  by  means  of  the  clutch,  it  is  thought  desirable 
in  the  first  instance  to  retain  the  clutch,  and  only  to  abolish  it 
when  the  newer  and  simpler  method  of  control  is  becoming 
more  familiar.  This  gear  also  takes  the  place  of  the  differential, 
and  a  very  simple  reverse  is  obtained  in  practice  without  the 
addition  of  any  further  mechanism,  save  the  reversing  lever, 
which  is  clearly  shown  in  Fig.  6.  It  may  therefore  be  said  that 
in  this  gear  the  motorist  has  clutch,  differential,  reverse,  and 


«  E   a  j; 


128  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

all  speeds  in  both  directions,  in  one  compact  combination.  The 
whole  mechanism  operates  in  an  enclosed  gear-case  (the  top 
half  has  been  removed  in  Fig.  6),  which  is  kept  half  full  of 
lubricant. 

Fig.  lo  is  a  sectional  elevation,  through  the  end  of  the  axle 
(E)  and  the  hub  of  the  driving  wheel.  A  section  is  also  shown 
through  the  external  and  internal  brakes  (D)  and  (C  i),  which 
are  coupled  direct  to  a  flange  on  the  hub  of  the  wheel,  to  which 
also  the  driving  sprocket  is  attached  ;  the  chief  feature  of  this 
hub  is  the  large  diameter  of  the  balls  adopted  for  the  anti- 
friction bearings.  The  axle  is  a  nickel  steel  tube,  and  the  axle- 
end,  carrying  the  ball  races,  is  a  nickel  steel  drop  forging.  The 
method  of  attaching  the  springs  to  the  axle  is  shown  at  E  2. 
The  keeper-plate  (E  3)  slides  in  grooves  provided  in  the  axle- 
strap  (E  2),  and  transmits  the  whole  of  the  stresses  direct  to 
the  axle.  The  bolts  (E  4)  have  only  to  retain  this  keeper  in 
position. 

The  portion  of  the  cross  section  showing  the  internal  and 
external  brake  in  this  view  is  chiefly  interesting  because  it 
shows  the  screws  (C  3),  lever  (C  5),  and  nut  (C  4),  and  a  section 
through  the  wedge  (C  2),  by  which  means  the  mechanical  brake- 
ring  is  expanded.  This  arrangement  is  similar  to  that  already 
described  in  the  clutch.  Details  of  the  external,  hydraulically 
controlled  brake  are  also  shown.  The  hydraulic  cylinder  (D  3) 
is  shown,  attached  to  the  brake-ring  (D)  with  the  links  (D  5)  in 
position,  which  transmit  the  movement  of  the  ram  (D  i)  to  the 
other  portion  of  the  ring,  through  a  universally  jointed  con- 
nection at  TD  6).  The  section  given  shows  clearly  the  manner 
in  which  the  admission  of  oil  pressure  to  the  cylinder  (D  3) 
communicates  movement  to  the  links,  and  contracts  the  brake- 
ring  upon  the  drum  (C).  These  brakes,  both  internal  and 
external,  are  supplied  constantly  with  oil  under  pressure  from 
the  special  lubricator  which  is  attached  to  these  cars.  Con- 
sequently the  action  of  the  brake,  like  that  of  the  clutch,  is  a 
sweet  and  gradual  one,  and  the  firing  or  seizing  of  the  parts 
need  not  be  feared. 

The  steering  axle  head,  which  is  shown  in  a  front  view  of 
the  chassis  (Fig.  11),  is  of  special  cast-steel ;  the  swivelling  axle 
is  a  nickel  steel  drop  forging,  and  the  hub,  as  is  also  the  case 
with  the  rear  wheels,  is  of  cast-steel.     The  weight  of  the  fore- 


2  a 


CENTRAL   PORTION    OF   THE    HUTTON    CHASSIS 

SHOWING   THE    HAND   I,EVEKS    AliOVE   THE   STEERING   WHEEL,    THE    HVDRAUL.IC 
ACCUMULATOR   ON    THE   DASH,    AND   THE    EXPANDING  MAIN    CLUTCH 


SOME   TYPES   OF   PETROL   CAR  129 

end  of  the  car  is  transmitted  to  the  wheels  through  a  ball  race 
in  the  head,  while  at  the  same  time  all  side  stresses,  which 
would  be  liable  to  interfere  with  the  perfect  movement  of  this 
race,  are  eliminated  by  means  of  a  central  pin,  upon  which  the 
swivelling  axle  turns.  This  ball  bearing  makes  the  steering 
of  the  car  very  easy.  The  central  pin  is  hollow  and  will  con- 
tain sufficient  lubricant  to  keep  the  hub  ball  races  in  good 
condition  for  many  months. 

The  large  size  of  the  balls  used,  and  of  the  ball  races,  is  a 
notable  feature  in  the  construction  of  these  hubs  ;  and  it  will 
also  be  seen  that,  although  they  are  very  large  in  diameter,  they 
are  light  in  weight ;  the  construction,  in  fact,  is  tubular,  similar 
to  that  of  many  other  portions  of  the  car. 

Figs.  II  and  12  show  the  general  arrangement  of  the  steering 
apparatus,  and  give  front  and  rear  views  of  the  chassis.  The 
steering  screw  is  carried  between  ball  thrust-bearings,  and  a 
spring  device  is  inserted  in  the  horizontal  steering  arm,  which 
eliminates  shock  to  the  steering  apparatus,  and  thus  makes  it 
unnecessary  to  provide  complicated  devices  for  the  taking  up 
of  undue  wear  of  these  parts.  The  ordinary  ball  and  socket 
universal  joint  is  not  used  in  this  car,  the  designer  insisting  that 
it  is  a  dangerous  type  of  construction  for  so  important  a  part 
of  the  car  mechanism.  The  valves  for  the  hydraulic  control 
are  manipulated  by  means  of  rods  attached  to  the  lower  end 
of  the  tubes  of  the  steering  pillar,  and  are  controlled  by  levers 
at  the  top  of  the  steering  column.  These  levers  and  tubes  are 
shown  clearly  in  Fig.  13.  One  lever  for  the  carburettor,  one 
for  the  brake,  and  one  for  the  variation  of  speed.  The  segment 
over  which  these  levers  work  is  marked  clearly  BRAKE  ;  on — 
off;  SPEED;  increase — decrease;  MIXTURE;  rich — weak. 

This  figure  also  shows  the  starting-gear  attachment  on  this 
car,  which  is  on  the  near  side  of  the  vehicle  and  just  in  front 
of  the  dashboard.  Instead  of  the  usual  arrangement  placed 
on  the  front  of  the  car,  underneath  the  radiator,  a  side  shaft 
is  provided,  gearing  through  bevel  wheels,  on  to  a  suitable 
engaging  stud  in  the  fly-wheel. 

The  accumulator,  which  forms  the  central  feature  of  the 
hydraulic  control  apparatus,  is  shown  on  the  dashboard  with 
pressure  gauge  attached.  It  consists  of  a  chamber  in  which 
a  spring  is  confined   between   two  pistons.     One  end  of  this 

K 


130  THE    COMPLETE    MOTOKIST 

chamber  forms  a  storage  for  oil,  under  pressure,  which  is  dis- 
tributed to  these  portions  of  the  gear  operated  by  its  means, 
and  the  other  end  forms  an  elastic  device  for  eliminating  shock 
when  starting  up  the  speed  gear.  This  end  of  the  chamber,  in 
fact,  is  placed  in  series  with  the  cylinder  contained  in  the  speed- 
gear  shaft,  so  that  the  strap  and  links  are  actually  operated  by 
an  elastic  medium,  instead  of  by  an  incompressible  element, 
such  as  oil  or  water  under  pressure  would  be  without  this 
arrangement.  This  accumulator  is  charged  constantly  by  means 
of  a  slow-moving  pump,  which  is  operated  by  the  second-speed 
shaft  of  the  motor. 

THE   THORNYCROFT   CAR 

Like  several  other  engineering  firms  of  great  and  honourable 
reputation,  the  Thornycrofts  have  recently  undertaken  the 
manufacture  of  light  motor-cars.  They  have  been  hitherto 
identified  with  the  heavy  steam  vehicles  bearing  their  name 
which  have  done  so  much  to  convince  those  whose  business 
employs  heavy  transport  that  the  motor-car  is  in  the  long  run 
by  far  the  cheapest  and  most  efficient  means  of  transport.  Now, 
however,  they  have  added  the  light  passenger  car  to  their  list, 
and  although  they  are,  like  so  many  others,  as  yet  dealing  with 
comparatively  unfamiliar  conditions  of  weight  and  strain  in  such 
light  machinery,  their  progress  so  far  is  an  assurance  that  their 
cars  will  before  long  take  a  very  high  place  indeed  among  those 
manufactured  in  this  country.  They  have  very  wisely  laid  down 
certain  principles  in  starting — principles  which  for  the  sake  of 
the  health  of  the  motor  industry  one  could  wish  had  been  more 
universally  adopted.  Simplicity,  fewness  of  parts,  and  endur- 
ance are  the  three  principal  characteristics  of  the  Thornycroft 
cars.  And  if  one  looks  in  vain  in  them  for  those  doubtful 
refinements  and  complications  which,  in  the  hands  of  any  but 
the  most  experienced  builders,  assist  in  keeping  up  the  preju- 
dice that  motor-cars  cannot  be  trusted  to  run  for  long  without 
breaking  down,  ample  compensation  is  provided  in  the  reassur- 
ing strength  and  simplicity  of  the  design.  The  illustration  of 
the  Thornycroft  chassis  gives  a  good  idea  of  this  simplicity  and 
strength.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  vertical  forward  position  is 
adopted  for  the  engine,  which  consists  of  four  cylinders  cast  in 


/V  s      c 


F^C  / 


THOKNVCKOFT   CHAXflK-SPKKI)   (lEAK 


SOME   TYPES   OF   PETROL   CAR  131 

pairs.  The  drive  is  through  a  ckitch  to  a  roomy  and  accessible 
gear-box,  and  thence  by  universally-jointed  shafts  to  a  live  rear 
axle,  which  is  driven  by  bevel  gear.  A  separate  under-frame  is 
provided  for  the  engine,  and  the  frame  of  the  car,  of  the  very 
simplest  design,  is  of  stout  channel  steel  strengthened  by  cross 
members  and  stays.  The  springs  are  of  the  semi-elliptic  type, 
and  are  attached  to  the  axles  by  strap  bolts,  and  to  the  under- 
frame  by  cast  manganese  steel  scrolls  and  links.  The  leading 
springs  are  fixed  at  the  forward  end  and  free  at  the  rear  end, 
while  the  rear  springs  are  free  at  the  front  end  and  attached  at 
the  rear  ends  to  the  extremities  of  a  cross-spring  which  is  fixed 
to  the  rear  cross  member  of  the  frame.  The  wheels  are  of  the 
artillery  type,  the  naves  of  the  leading  wheels  being  of  bronze, 
and  those  of  the  driving  wheels  of  stamped  steel.  The  engine 
is  designed  to  run  at  a  normal  speed  of  900  revolutions  per 
minute,  and  is  capable  of  acceleration  up  to  1,400  revolutions. 
The  water-jacketing  of  the  cylinders  extends  about  half-way 
down  from  the  firing  end,  and  has  been  carefully  designed  to 
avoid  any  impediment  to  the  free  and  natural  circulation  of  the 
cooling  water,  which  is  driven  round  the  cylinders,  honeycomb 
radiator,  and  tank  by  an  enclosed  pump  geared  to  the  crank 
shaft.  Each  piston  is  provided  with  four  spring  rings  ;  the  con- 
necting-rods are  of  stamped  steel  with  adjustable  big  ends.  The 
crank  shaft  is  a  single  steel  piece  with  a  central  bearing  only 
between  each  pair  of  cylinders.  The  cranks  of  each  pair  of 
cylinders  are  set  at  180°,  which  ensures  a  very  good  balance. 
The  forward  end  carries  the  gear  wheel  for  operating  the  pump, 
and  is  further  prolonged  to  the  front  of  the  car  to  receive  the 
starting  handle  ;  its  rear  end  is  coned  and  keyed  to  receive  the 
combined  fly-wheel  and  friction  clutch.  Atmospheric  inlet 
valves  are  used,  and  the  exhaust  valves  are  operated  in  the 
usual  way  by  cams  on  a  half-speed  shaft. 

The  arrangement  of  the  gear-box  is  very  clearly  illustrated  in 
the  accompanying  plate.  Fig.  i  shows  the  lower  half  of  the 
case  with  the  gears  in  the  second-speed  position.  Fig.  2  shows 
the  upper  half  of  the  case,  with  the  striking  levers,  by  means  of 
which  the  position  of  the  gear  wheels  is  moved.  Fig.  3  shows 
the  lower  half  of  the  case  with  the  reverse  gear  in  position,  but 
with  the  other  gear  removed  ;  Fig.  4  another  position  of  Fig.  2, 
and  Figs.  5  and  6  the  separate  shafts  with  their  gear  wheels. 


132  THE    COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

The  sleeve  A,  with  a  claw  clutch  and  pinion  solid  with  it,  is 
driven  through  the  friction  clutch  from  the  engine.  In  its  turn 
it  drives,  by  means  of  the  wheel  B,  the  second  shaft  C  at  a 
constant  reduced  speed.  The  wheels  B  and  D  are  fixed  on  the 
shaft.  The  wheel  E  is  capable  of  sliding  on  the  squared  part  of 
the  shaft  C,  and  can  be  brought  into  gear  when  required  with 
the  wheel  F,  which  is  fixed  to  the  shaft  G.  This  shaft  has  at  one 
extremity  the  universal  coupling  H,  and  takes  a  bearing  at  one 
end  in  the  large  journal  J  inside  of  the  sleeve  A.  The  wheel  I 
is  free  to  slide  upon  the  squared  part  of  the  shaft  G  and  to 
engage  as  shown  with  the  wheel  D,  or  to  engage  by  means  of 
internal  clutched  teeth  with  the  projecting  portion  of  the  wheel 
on  the  sleeve  A.  On  the  first  speed  the  sliding  wheel  I  is  dis- 
engaged, and  the  sliding  wheel  E  is  brought  into  engagement 
by  means  of  the  forked  lever  L  with  the  wheel  F.  On  the  top 
speed  the  drive  is  direct.  The  wheel  I  is  then  moved  on  its 
shaft  so  that  the  internal  teeth  engage  with  the  teeth  on  the 
wheel  fixed  to  the  sleeve  A.  Under  these  circumstances  the 
second  shaft  C  revolves  idly.  Messrs.  Thornycroft  prefer  the 
simplicity  of  this  method  to  the  use  of  springs  and  triggers  for 
throwing  the  second  shaft  out  of  gear.  They  tell  me  they  find 
that  with  their  well-cut  and  thoroughly  hardened  gear-teeth  the 
second  shaft  runs  noiselessly,  and  practically  without  wear.  The 
reverse  is  obtained  by  the  gearing  of  the  sliding  pinion  M  with 
the  low-speed  wheel,  the  wheels  E  and  N  also  being  in  gear. 
The  ignition  used  is  either  magneto  or  the  ordinary  high-tension 
coil  system  ;  if  a  dynamo  be  employed  with  the  coil,  the  motor 
is  first  started  from  the  battery,  which  is  then  cut  out  and  the 
dynamo  switched  on  as  soon  as  speed  has  been  obtained. 

The  car  shown  in  the  illustration  is  a  standard  20  h.p.  car, 
the  only  other  size  made  being  a  10  h.p.  car,  the  engine  of  which 
has  two  cylinders  instead  of  four. 


CHAPTER   V 
STEAM   CARS 

The  advantages  of  steam — Has  the  last  word  been  said  ? — The  sensitive  and  respon- 
sive motor — The  American  steam  car — Its  rise  and  fall — Unwise  commercial 
conduct — Ignorant  handling  and  its  results — The  American  run-about  described 
— The  SerpoUet-Simplex  car — Steam  and  luxury — The  White  steam  car — A 
deserved  success — The  S.M.  steam  car — The  problem  for  the  designers — No 
glands,  no  leaks — No  petrol,  no  danger — The  importance  of  being  automatic — 
An  ingenious  water  control — Nothing  to  wear  out — A  fine  engineering  achieve- 
ment. 

BEFORE  the  invention  of  the  Hght  petrol  engine  practically 
the  only  motive  power  used  for  road  carriages  was,  as  we 
have  seen,  steam  ;  and  in  spite  of  the  great  development  and 
popularity  of  the  petrol  engine,  the  light  steam  engine  has  side 
by  side  with  it  been  improved  and  adapted  for  the  purpose  of 
motor-cars.  Its  popularity,  however,  has  waned  in  proportion 
as  the  popularity  of  the  petrol  engine  has  increased,  and  to-day 
the  range  of  choice  offered  to  those  who  prefer  the  steam  engine 
to  the  petrol  engine  as  a  motive  power  for  automobiles  is 
restricted  to  a  very  few  types  of  car.  These  may  be  broadly 
grouped  under  three  divisions — the  Gardner-Serpollet  system, 
which  is  unlike  anything  else,  and  was  at  the  beginning  of  1904 
practically  the  only  steam  system  applied  to  Hght  motor-cars  of 
a  large  horse-power ;  the  light  American  car  known  as  the 
"  run-about,"  the  most  popular  examples  of  which  are  the 
Stanley  and  Locomobile  cars  ;  and  a  later  and  more  practical 
development  of  the  light  American  car  in  which  the  steam  is 
condensed  over  and  over  again  and  returned  to  the  water-tank, 
and  where  either  single-acting  or  compound  engines  are  used 
instead  of  the  old  double-acting  type. 

Before  discussing  these  three  types  in  detail,  a  word  or  two 
with  regard  to  steam  as  applied  to  motor-cars  will  not  be  out  of 

133 


134  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

place.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  ideal  motive  power  is 
electricity  ;  but  we  have  not  yet  reached  that  point  in  invention 
at  which  the  application  of  electricity  is  practical  for  long- 
distance work.  The  choice  therefore  remains  between  steam 
and  petrol.  The  advantages  of  steam  are  very  many,  so  many, 
in  fact,  that  not  a  few  engineers  believe  that  the  last  word  about 
steam,  pending  the  final  development  of  electricity,  has  by  no 
means  yet  been  said.  Steam  is  simple  and  silent  in  its  action, 
and  the  absence  of  explosion  makes  the  wear  on  the  motor-car 
itself  much  less  severe.  Moreover,  the  elasticity  of  steam  gives 
a  range  of  speeds  far  greater  and  more  delicate  than  that 
afforded  by  the  inelastic  explosive  engine ;  and  this  elasticity 
does  away  with  one  of  the  most  formidable  and  expensive  parts 
of  the  petrol  car,  viz.  the  elaborate  and  by  no  means  ideal 
arrangement  of  gears  by  which  (since  the  speed  of  the  engine 
remains  practically  constant)  the  speed  of  the  car  is  varied. 
The  fact  also  that  in  any  part  of  the  country  someone  can  be 
found  who  understands  the  steam  engine  is,  in  case  of  break- 
down, a  by  no  means  despicable  consideration  ;  for  it  is  most 
unwise  and  unsafe  to  allow  local  mechanics  to  tamper  with  a 
modern  petrol  engine.  There  is  also  the  advantage  that,  given 
a  satisfactory  form  of  furnace,  the  steam  car  is  more  economical 
in  its  working  than  the  petrol  car ;  and  the  purely  sentimental 
advantage,  and  perhaps  not  a  very  important  one,  that  to  some 
engineers  the  steam  engine  will  always  seem  a  more  human  and 
responsive  agent  to  work  with  than  a  petrol  engine.  Why  this 
should  be  so  I  do  not  know,  but  it  is  a  fact  that  cannot  be 
ignored,  the  sense  of  which  is  very  deeply  implanted  in  the 
ordinary  man  who  has  ever  had  to  do  with  machinery. 

The  disadvantages  of  the  steam  car  are  that  three  separate 
pieces  of  apparatus  are  essential — the  furnace,  the  boiler,  and 
the  engine  itself;  and  this  goes  some  way  to  minimise  the 
advantage  gained  by  the  steam  engine  in  its  avoidance  of  the 
necessity  for  complicated  gears.  Moreover,  the  necessity  of 
taking  in  water  at  comparatively  short  intervals  was,  in  long- 
distance motoring,  found  to  be  a  nuisance.  A  further  disadvan- 
tage inseparable  from  steam  engines  is  the  necessity  of  having  a 
lighted  fire  carried  about  with  the  vehicle  itself.  The  smallness 
of  the  space  available  and  the  great  pressure  of  steam  employed 
in  these  machines  make  it  necessary  that  the  furnace  should  be 


STEAM   CARS  135 

capable  of  developing  great  heat,  and  this  is  only  possible 
either  with  petrol,  the  burning  of  which  involves  some  danger, 
or  of  paraffin  oil,  which  has  hitherto  not  always  been  satisfac- 
tory. Moreover,  the  space  occupied  by  the  boiler  and  furnace, 
as  well  as  by  the  large  water  and  petrol  tanks  which  it  was 
necessary  to  carry,  robbed  the  carriages  of  that  roominess  and 
extent  of  accommodation  which  are  such  strong  features  of  the 
petrol  car. 

A  few  years  ago  the  light  American  steam  car  had  a  great 
vogue  in  England.  By  far  the  commonest  type  in  use  was  that 
manufactured  and  sold  by  the  Locomobile  Company — a  little 
vehicle  representing  a  great  deal  of  ingenuity  in  design  and 
construction,  and  also  illustrating  that  remarkable  strength 
which  the  American  engineers,  above  all  others,  seem  to  have 
achieved  in  the  construction  of  very  light  machinery.  But 
these  little  cars,  which  were  sold  in  enormous  quantities,  were 
often  imperfectly  equipped  by  the  makers,  and  such  things  as 
water-  and  air-pumps,  engine  covers,  condensers,  additional 
brakes,  super-heaters,  forced  draught  and  automatic  lubricators, 
which  should  have  been  regarded  as  part  of  the  machine,  were 
sold  as  extras,  and,  of  course,  in  many  cases  not  sold  at  all ; 
so  that  too  often  the  novice  went  out  with  a  machine  consisting 
of  a  body,  four  wheels,  a  boiler,  and  an  engine,  and  very  little 
else.  Naturally,  these  engines  gave  a  great  deal  of  trouble  and 
fell  into  disrepute,  not  so  much  because  of  their  own  defects  as 
the  defects  of  the  people  who  drove  them  and  the  neglect  to  equip 
them  fully  on  the  part  of  those  who  sold  them.  The  condition 
of  the  light  steam  car  was  indeed  broadly  this.  For  the  sum 
of  ;^200  or  i^300  the  purchaser  was  able  to  get  a  light  car  which 
could  run  in  fine  weather  and  on  fine  roads  with  great  ease  and 
smoothness  for  a  short  time,  but  which,  after  a  little  while,  would 
begin  to  show  signs  of  wear  and  a  tendency  to  break  down, 
chiefly  owing  to  lightness  of  construction  and  a  somewhat  hap- 
hazard trust  in  the  operator's  knowledge  and  experience.  The 
inexpert  owner  of  such  a  car,  wishing  to  get  the  greatest 
possible  amount  of  efficiency  out  of  it,  found  himself  virtually 
prevented  from  taking  it  out  except  in  fine  weather  when  the 
roads  were  dry,  as  the  splashing  of  mud  into  the  bearings  of  the 
small  engine  rapidly  produced  symptoms  of  an  approaching 
end  to  that  engine's  efficiency.     He  found  himself,  moreover. 


136  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

pinned  down  to  routes  where  he  could  take  up  clean  water 
within  twenty-mile  stages,  and  he  was  also  under  the  necessity 
of  replenishing  the  petrol  tanks  at  intervals  of  not  less  than 
forty  miles. 

This,  of  course,  although  it  provided  the  possibility  of  a  very 
pleasant  kind  of  country  jaunt  or  journey,  could  hardly  be 
described  as  motoring  in  the  serious  sense  in  which  that  term  is 
nowadays  used.  To  enable  the  light  steam  car  to  hold  its  own 
with  its  great  rival,  it  became  at  once  necessary  to  extend  its 
sphere  of  "  non-stop  "  activity,  and  so  to  strengthen  and  protect 
its  working  parts  that  it  should  be  as  independent  of  weather 
and  the  condition  of  the  roads  as  it  is  possible  for  a  pleasure 
vehicle  to  be.  An  effort  was  therefore  made  to  improve  the 
light  steam  car  and  bring  it  up  to  the  high  standard  demanded 
by  comparison  with  the  petrol  cars  ;  and  so  far  as  cars  running 
in  England  are  concerned,  the  credit  for  this  improvement 
is  mainly  due  to  the  builders  of  the  "White"  car.  By  grappling 
with  the  problems  of  lubrication,  condensation,  and,  above  all, 
of  a  boiler  which  should  be  practically  automatic  in  its  motion, 
they  achieved  much  ;  and  by  care  in  construction,  which  had 
not  been  hitherto  shown,  their  improvements  went  far  to  remove 
many  disabilities  under  which  steam  cars  had  laboured.  In 
addition  to  this  they  have  now  brought  out  a  steam  car  of  a  type 
which,  I  believe,  will  have  a  great  vogue  in  the  future,  viz.  a 
steam  tonneau  car  with  the  engine  in  front  under  a  bonnet  in  such 
a  position  that  all  taps  and  levers  can  be  brought  immediately 
in  front  of  the  driver  on  a  control  board,  thus  doing  away  with 
the  awkward  fumbling  under  the  seat  made  necessary  by  the 
centrally  placed  engine.  They  have  now  been  followed  by  the 
constructors  of  the  S.M.  car,  who  are  bringing  out  a  new 
car  with  a  four-cylinder,  single-acting  engine  of  great  power  in 
proportion  to  its  bulk,  equipped  with  a  flash  generator  and 
control  that  are  entirely  new  in  principle,  perfectly  automatic, 
and  almost  indestructible. 

The  alternative  to  the  light  car  in  England  has  practically 
been  found  in  the  use  of  the  Gardner-Serpollet  car  or  the 
Miesse  car.  Both  of  these,  however,  are  cars  of  very  elaborate 
and  fine  design.  They  are  somewhat  expensive  to  run  and  to 
take  care  of;  but  provided  it  is  properly  taken  care  of,  there  is 
probably  no  more  luxurious  touring  car  on  the  roads  to-day 


STEAM   CARS  137 

than  the  Gardner-Serpollet.  The  ingenuity  of  M,  Serpollet's 
mechanism  was  the  feature  of  the  early  days  of  the  motor 
movement,  and  it  remains  one  of  the  triumphs  of  motor-car 
engineering  to-day. 

The  older  type  of  American  run-about  may  be  briefly  de- 
scribed as  a  tubular  steel  framework  mounted  on  wire  wheels 
and  carrying  a  body  consisting  of  a  seat  for  two  people,  a  large 
tank  for  water,  a  boiler,  furnace,  and  engine,  as  well  as  fuel  and 
air  tanks — the  engine  a  small  double-acting,  high-pressure  steam 
engine,  with  two  cylinders  of  about  ^h  inches  by  2J  inches 
dimensions.  These  engines  were  coupled  by  connecting-rods  to 
a  crank  shaft,  on  which  was  a  sprocket  wheel  coupled  by  means 
of  a  chain  to  a  larger  sprocket  wheel  on  the  rear  axle.  The 
usual  type  of  boiler  was  a  very  small  and  highly  efficient  fire-tube 
boiler  some  fourteen  inches  in  diameter,  and  containing  about 
300  copper  tubes.  Undoubtedly  in  careless  hands  these  boilers 
may  be  a  great  nuisance,  and  even  a  considerable  danger,  but  I 
have  run  one  for  many  thousands  of  miles  without  ever  having 
any  trouble.  They  develop  a  very  large  quantity  of  steam,  and 
although  of  course  the  water  level  and  the  steam  pressure 
require  constant  watching,  I  have  found  this  in  my  own  case  to 
become  automatic,  and  a  by  no  means  unpleasant  occupation  in 
driving.  The  exhaust  steam  in  cars  of  this  type  is  led  through 
a  small  silencer  into  the  exhaust  pipe  or  into  a  condenser,  out 
of  which  it  drips  on  to  the  road  in  the  form  of  water.  Such  cars 
could  carry  fuel  for  about  fifty  miles  and  water  for  about  thirty, 
and  for  the  purpose  of  running  about  parks  or  taking  short 
country  trips  in  fine  weather  they  are  very  pleasant.  They  are 
easy  and  silent  running,  and  the  very  considerable  power  which 
they  develop  in  hill-climbing  wins  for  them  many  friends.  The 
indicated  horse-power  of  such  an  engine  as  I  have  described  is 
about  5 1,  but  it  is,  of  course,  capable  of  developing  much  more, 
and  such  a  car  would  leave  many  a  15  or  20  h.p.  petrol  car 
behind  in  going  up  a  short  steep  hill.  The  burning  of  vaporised 
petrol,  however,  is  always  an  anxious  and  a  dangerous  business, 
and  many  an  owner  of  these  light  American  steam  cars  has  had 
the  mortification  of  watching  his  smart  little  vehicle  wrapped  in 
a  column  of  flame  twenty  feet  high.  For  running  in  a  high  wind 
a  forced  draught  is  moreover  absolutely  necessary  in  cars  of  this 
type ;  otherwise  it  is  impossible  to  make  steam.     But  when  all 


138  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

the  conditions  are  favourable  and  when  the  car  is  properly 
equipped  these  little  engines  are  very  pleasant  indeed  to  drive 
for  anyone  who  has  a  taste  and  liking  for  machinery.  They  are 
so  fast  and  responsive  and  they  are  such  good  hill-climbers, 
they  contain  the  whole  apparatus  of  a  high-pressure  steam 
engine  within  such  small  and  compact  bounds,  that  many  a  day 
can  be  happily  spent  on  them  touring  along  country  roads  in 
the  summer  time.  They  are  now,  however,  being  replaced  by 
more  powerful,  better  designed,  more  simple  and  efficient  steam 
cars,  which,  if  they  do  not  furnish  their  driver  with  quite  so 
much  experience  and  roadside  occupation,  at  any  rate  carry  him 
at  higher  speeds  with  less  trouble  and  greater  certainty. 

At  the  same  time  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the  loco- 
mobile steam  cars  probably  did  more  than  those  of  any  other 
make  to  popularise  motoring  in  this  country,  and  that,  used 
as  they  were  by  the  most  influential  of  converts  to  the  new 
pastime,  they  introduced  numberless  people  to  the  pleasures 
of  motoring,  and  were,  in  a  sense,  the  pioneers  of  the  larger 
and  faster  cars.  I  am  inclined,  I  repeat,  to  think  that  the 
loss  of  reputation  which  they  undoubtedly  suffered  was  due, 
not  so  much  to  inherent  defects  of  the  cars  themselves,  as  to 
unwise  methods  adopted  in  selling  them,  and  in  their  misuse 
by  private  owners.  After  the  South  African  war  the  Loco- 
mobile cars  had  a  great  vogue  amongst  military  officers,  who, 
as  a  class,  abused  them  ruthlessly  and  foolishly,  treating  them 
much  as  a  child  treats  a  fascinating  toy  which  will  not  yield 
its  fullest  satisfaction  to  him  until  he  has  experienced  the 
sensation  of  destroying  it.  It  is  a  curious  fact  that  the  Loco- 
mobile steam  cars  were  never  so  well  made  or  so  completely 
and  efficiently  fitted  as  when  their  reputation  was,  in  this 
country,  at  its  worst.  I  speak  with  knowledge,  having  driven 
many  cars,  both  steam  and  petrol ;  and  although  I  am 
under  no  delusions  as  to  what  a  locomobile  will  not  do,  and 
as  to  its  comparative  uselessness  for  touring  purposes,  I  have 
found  it  at  all  times  a  trustworthy  and  pleasant  little  carriage. 
I  may  have  been  lucky,  or  careful,  or  both ;  but  during  the 
thousands  of  miles  that  it  has  carried  me  on  English  roads  I 
do  not  know  how  many  dozen  of  petrol  cars  I  have  seen  dis- 
abled by  the  wayside,  but  I  have  never  had  a  breakdown  on 
the   road,  and  the  car  has  never  failed  to  bring  me  to    my 


STEAM   CARS  139 

destination  faithfully  and — except  in  one  case  when  I  had  to 
run  seven  miles  on  a  torn  tyre — punctually  ;  and  I  believe  that 
there  are  many  who  have  had  similar  experiences.  The  modern 
Locomobile  steam  cars  are  excellent  cars,  as  are  also  the  Stanley 
steam  cars,  a  similar  type ;  but  there  has  lately  been  a  decided 
public  movement  in  favour  of  more  automatic  mechanism  than 
that  necessitated  by  tubular  boilers  and  double-acting  burners  ; 
and  it  is  to  this  that  I  attribute  the  temporary  eclipse  of  the 
light  steam  car.  But  that  it  is  only  a  temporary  eclipse  I  am 
absolutely  certain :  the  success  of  the  "  White "  car  proves 
that.  The  early  steam  cars  required  a  very  sensitive  ear  and 
touch  for  their  proper  manipulation,  and  these  are  qualities 
in  which  the  ordinary  driver  of  a  motor-car  has  hitherto  been 
conspicuously  lacking. 

THE   SERPOLLET-SIMPLEX   CAR 

The  cars  built  under  M.  Serpollet's  system  represent  the 
acme  of  luxury  and  ingenuity  in  steam  motor-cars.  Their 
beautiful  workmanship,  their  powerful  and  trustworthy  engines, 
and  their  roomy  and  comfortable  carriage  work,  have  caused 
them  to  be  extensively  used  by  automobilists  who  are  sensible 
enough  to  wish  to  tour  comfortably,  and  rich  enough  to  be  able 
to  choose  an  ideal  means  of  indulging  their  taste.  A  very 
expert  mechanic  indeed  has  hitherto  been  indispensable  to  the 
owner  of  a  Gardner-Serpollet  car,  as  both  the  delicacy  of  its 
mechanism  and  the  nicety  of  knowledge  and  experience  required 
for  driving  it  properly  would  have  made  too  heavy  demands  on 
the  time  and  attention  of  the  amateur.  M.  Serpollet,  however, 
has  never  stood  still  and  has  always  improved  his  cars  ;  and  in 
the  1904  cars  a  great  advance  has  been  made  in  the  direction  of 
rendering  them  simpler  in  construction  and  more  automatic  in 
control,  so  that  the  disadvantages  arising  from  inexpert  driving 
have  been  reduced  to  a  minimum.  The  extremely  complex  but 
beautifully  designed  mechanism  for  working  the  pump  supply 
of  water  and  fuel  has  been  abolished,  and  replaced  by  a  much 
simpler  contrivance  which  is  automatic.  The  general  construc- 
tion of  the  Serpollet-Simplex  car,  as  the  new  pattern  is  called, 
will  be  seen  from  the  illustration.  A  long  steel  frame  is 
mounted  in  the  ordinary  way,  and  carries  a  large  water-tank 


140 


THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 


under  a  bonnet  such  as  covers  the  engines  of  a  petrol  car.  In 
front  of  this  a  radiator  is  fixed,  and  below  the  car  a  set  of  con- 
denser tubes  for  the  purpose  of  completing  the  condensation  of 
steam  and  returning  it  to  the  water-tank.  Behind  the  back 
seat  is  fixed  the  generator,  which  consists  of  a  series  of  coils  of 
nickel  steel  tube  of  a  C-shaped  section  placed  within  a  metal 


Motor. 

Steam  Generator. 
Hand  Pump. 
Condenser  Tube. 
Water  Tank. 
Oil  and  Fuel  Distributor. 
Water  Pump  to  Generator. 
Automatic  Lubricator. 
•Separator. 
-Driving  Chain. 
Forward  and  Reverse  Lever. 
Lever  controlling  Distribution 
Valves. 


SKETCH-PLAN    OF   THE   SERPOLLET-SIMPLEX   CHASSIS 

skin  lagged  with  asbestos.  These  are  kept  at  a  high  degree  of 
heat  by  the  furnace,  which  is  situated  directly  beneath  them, 
and  on  the  pumping  of  water  into  the  tubes  it  is  instantly 
flashed  into  steam,  which,  however,  has  to  traverse  the  whole 
length  of  the  heated  tubes  before  it  enters  the  engine  in  a  highly 
dry  and  superheated  condition.  The  engine  consists  of  four 
single-acting  cylinders  placed  horizontally  beneath  the  car  a 
little  forward  of  the  rear  wheels ;  and  they  are  placed  in  pairs. 


STEAM   CARS  141 

two  on  each  side  of  the  crank  shaft.  The  single-acting  steam 
engine  is  of  course  somewhat  similar  to  the  petrol  engine, 
except  that  in  place  of  the  explosions  of  vapour,  steam  at  high 
pressure  is  regularly  supplied  to  the  cylinders.  The  admission 
of  steam  to  the  cylinders  of  the  Serpollet  engine  is  governed 
by  mushroom  valves,  which  are  opened  at  the  proper  moment 
of  the  stroke  by  means  of  cams  placed  on  a  secondary  shaft. 
This  shaft  is  geared  to  the  crank  shaft  in  such  a  way  that  the 
moment  of  admission  of  the  steam  to  the  cylinders  can  be 
varied  by  the  driver,  so  that  he  can  either  use  the  steam  expan- 
sively, cut  it  off,  or  reverse  the  movement  of  the  engine.  There 
is  in  addition  an  ordinary  throttle  valve  governing  the  supply  of 
steam  to  the  engine,  and  this  is  controlled  by  a  pedal. 

The  system  of  controlling  the  supply  of  water  to  the  boiler 
and  fuel  to  the  furnace  is  extremely  interesting.  The  fuel  is 
ordinary  petroleum,  and  this  is  stored  in  a  tank  under  air 
pressure.  On  its  way  to  the  burner  the  petroleum  passes 
through  a  perforated  plate  which  can  be  opened  or  closed  by 
the  movement  of  a  slide  similarly  perforated.  When  it  is  fully 
open  the  oil  can  pass  through  all  the  perforations  ;  when  it  is 
closed  the  oil  only  passes  through  one  small  aperture  which 
admits  just  enough  to  keep  the  burner  alight.  The  slide  has 
three  other  fixed  positions,  each  of  which  admits  a  certain 
amount  of  petroleum  an  hour,  so  that  it  is  impossible,  according 
to  the  speed  at  which  the  car  is  running,  to  pass  too  much  oil 
to  the  burners  ;  it  is  indeed  unnecessary  to  think  about  it.  The 
same  lever  which  controls  this  slide  controls  also  another  slide 
which  governs  the  admission  of  water  to  the  generator.  The 
quantity  of  water  turned  into  steam  is  thus  made  to  correspond 
exactly,  in  a  definite  mathematical  proportion,  with  the  quantity 
of  fuel  delivered  to  the  furnace.  The  water  is  delivered  by  a 
pump  worked  by  an  eccentric  from  the  back  axle.  The 
Serpollet  car  is  an  extremely  fast  one,  and,  of  course,  perfectly 
silent  and  smooth  in  its  working,  the  only  sound  to  be  heard 
being  the  deep  roaring  of  the  furnace  when  the  car  is  travelling 
at  high  speeds.  The  Serpollet  was  until  recently  the  only 
rival  of  the  heavy-powered  petrol  cars  on  the  market,  with 
the  exception  of  the  "  Miesse "  steam  car,  which  has  for  its 
generator  a  single-coiled  tube,  and  has  a  three-cylindered  single- 
acting  engine.     A  new  pattern  of  the  Serpollet  car  is  made  in 


142  THE   COMPLETE   MOTCJRIST 

three  sizes — 40  h.p.,  1 5  h.p.,  and  9  h.p.  respectively,  but  its  cost 
— which  is  not  excessive,  considering  the  beauty  and  perfec- 
tion of  the  workmanship  employed  in  it — places  it  beyond  the 
reach  of  many  of  its  admirers. 

THE   WHITE   STEAM    CAR 

Of  quite  another  type  is  the  White  steam  car,  which  is  built  in 
two  sizes,  10  h.p.  and  15  h.p.,  and  is  sold  at  a  price  which  brings  it 
within  the  reach  of  many  to  whom  the  price  of  the  Serpollet  car 
is  prohibitive.  It  presents  features  of  unusual  interest.  It  is  a 
steam  car,  yet  it  is  not  expensive  ;  it  carries  four  people ;  it  can 
run  for  long  distances  without  taking  in  supplies;  it  is  extremely 
simple  in  construction,  is  easily  managed,  and  inexpensively 
maintained  ;  and  it  can  keep  up  an  average  speed  of  twenty  to 
twenty-five  miles  an  hour  throughout  a  day's  run.  The  frame 
is  constructed  on  standard  lines.  The  bonnet  in  front  covers 
the  engine,  condenser,  and  oil  separator.  The  generator  is 
fixed  under  the  front  seat,  the  chimney  being  arranged  in  T- 
shaped  flues  on  each  side  of  the  car,  while  in  other  respects  it 
resembles  in  arrangement  the  ordinary  type  of  petrol  car.  The 
drive  is  direct  through  a  simple  shaft  fitted  with  universal  joints 
to  the  live  rear  axle,  there  being,  of  course,  no  clutches  or 
change-speed  gears.  The  generator  consists  of  helical  coils  of 
seamless  tubing  placed  one  above  the  other  and  surrounded  by 
a  casing  of  insulating  material.  The  coils  of  tubing  are  so  con- 
nected that  the  water  entering  at  the  top  cannot  pass  through 
the  successive  coils  below  by  gravity,  but  is  held  in  place 
entirely  subject  to  the  action  of  the  pump.  The  chief  point 
about  this  arrangement  is  that  we  have  thus  a  steam  generator 
in  which  none  of  the  conditions  of  a  steam  boiler  exist.  The 
water  is  always  at  the  top  of  the  coils  and  goes  out  in  the  form 
of  superheated  steam  through  the  lower  coils,  which  are  imme- 
diately above  the  fire.  There  is  no  boiling  water  to  generate 
steam,  as  the  water  is  instantly  flashed  into  steam  at  some 
variable  point  in  the  lower  coils,  that  point  depending  on  the 
amount  of  steam  which  is  being  used.  There  is  no  water  level 
to  be  watched  or  maintained,  and  there  is  no  possibility  of 
burning  out  or  of  explosion,  while  the  rapid  circulation  pre- 
vents the  deposit  of  scale  or  crust.     The  water  supply  is  con- 


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STEAM    CARS  143 

trolled  automatically  by  the  steam  pressure,  thus  doing  away 
with  any  hand  regulation  of  the  pump  by  the  operator.  The 
steam  is  superheated,  since  it  comes  out  of  the  hot  tubes  imme- 
diately over  the  fire  ;  and  its  expansive  power  is  therefore  very 
great.  The  water  supply  is  regulated  by  the  steam  pressure, 
and  is  entirely  automatic.  The  car  can  indeed  be  run  until 
either  the  water  supply  or  the  fuel  is  exhausted,  when  the  only 
thing  that  will  happen  will  be  that  the  car  will  come  to  a  stop. 
In  this  way  it  is  almost  impossible  to  damage  the  "  White"  car 
by  carelessness  or  forgetfulness  in  driving. 

The  engine  is  a  compound  one,  the  cylinders  of  the  lo  h.p.  car 
being  5  by  3^  inches  and  3  by  3|  inches  respectively.  It  is  so 
arranged  that  it  can  be  changed  by  the  pressure  of  a  foot  pedal 
to  a  simple  engine,  in  which  case  both  cylinders  are  running 
at  high  pressure.  This  is  only  used  in  starting  or  when  a 
specially  strong  pull  is  required.  Whether  there  is  any  real 
increase  in  efficiency  obtained  by  compounding  so  small  an 
engine  is  a  matter  of  some  doubt,  although  theoretically  there 
should  be  a  gain.  The  cylinders  are  insulated  and  covered  with 
an  aluminium  jacket.  The  cranks  work  in  an  aluminium  dust- 
proof  case  in  which  there  is  a  bath  of  oil,  so  that  the  maxi- 
mum of  lubrication  and  the  minimum  of  dirt  are  attained.  An 
eccentric  operates,  through  a  rocking  arm,  the  double-ended 
plunger  of  the  feed  pump  and  the  condenser  pump  attached  to 
the  left-hand  side  of  the  engine,  as  seen  in  the  illustration.  The 
diaphragm  regulator  controlling  the  bye-pass  valve  is  connected 
directly  to  the  upper  or  feed  pump.  When  this  valve  is  opened, 
the  water,  instead  of  being  forced  into  the  generator,  returns 
directly  to  the  bottom  of  the  pump,  and  so  circulates  locally 
until  the  bye-pass  valve  is  closed.  From  the  engine  the  exhaust 
steam  proceeds  to  the  condenser  at  the  front  of  the  bonnet ; 
thence  in  the  form  of  water  it  goes  to  the  oil  separator,  where 
the  cylinder  oil  is  removed,  and  so  back  to  the  tank. 

The  burner,  which  consists  of  a  top  plate  of  cast-iron  in 
which  are  a  number  of  concentric  circular  corrugations  per- 
forated for  the  passage  of  the  gas,  is  fixed  directly  under  the 
generator.  The  bottom  of  the  burner  consists  of  a  sheet-iron 
plate  slightly  conical  in  form,  with  its  lowest  point  in  the  centre. 
The  fire  is  started  by  means  of  a  pilot  light,  which  is  separate 
from  the  burner,  and  is  started  by  allowing  liquid  petrol  to  run 


144  THE   COMPLETE    MOTORIST 

into  an  annular  drip-pan.  About  three  minutes  are  required  to 
heat  the  vaporiser  by  means  of  the  pilot  light,  after  which  the 
main  burner  valve  is  opened.  In  another  thirty  seconds  the  car 
is  ready  to  run.  The  pilot  light  remains  cut  down  to  a  small 
blue  flame,  so  that  no  matter  how  long  the  car  remains  stand- 
ing, the  driver  can  start  it  again  from  his  seat.  The  engine  is 
reversed  by  the  ordinary  link  motion,  and  by  a  proper  use  of  the 
reversing  lever  can  be  "  notched  up  "  so  as  to  achieve  some  small 
economy  in  the  fuel  and  water.  The  engine  of  the  i  5  h.p.  car 
is  provided  with  a  change-speed  gear,  giving  greater  hill-climb- 
ing power,  and  allowing  the  engine  to  be  run  free.  It  is  also 
provided  with  a  fan  for  assisting  in  the  condensation  of  the 
exhaust  steam. 


THE   S.-M.    STEAM    CAR 

The  latest  form  of  the  application  of  steam-power  to  motor- 
cars is,  unlike  the  White  and  the  Serpollet,  an  entirely  English 
design.  The  car  is  the  design  of  Mr.  George  J.  Shave,  who  for 
some  years  has  been  works  manager  to  the  Locomobile  Co.  of 
Great  Britain,  and  the  flash  boiler  with  water  and  fire  control  is 
the  joint  patent  of  Mr.  Shave  and  Mr.  Irving  J.  Morse.  This 
flash  generator  and  its  control  constitute  one  of  the  cleverest 
advances  that  has  yet  been  made  in  steam  work  as  applied  to 
motors.  It  is  absolutely  automatic,  and  ensures  a  constant 
pressure  of  steam  under  all  circumstances.  This  car  and  its 
various  component  parts  have  been  subjected  to  a  two  years' 
trial  of  the  severest  description  before  the  publication  of  any 
details;  and  the  result  is  the  production  of  a  remarkably  simple, 
powerful,  and  inexpensive  carriage. 

The  principle  of  the  car  is  somewhat  similar  to  that  of  the 
Gardner-Serpollet,  but  it  is  far  more  simple,  as  well  as  being 
quite  different  in  the  arrangement  of  its  parts.  The  four- 
cylinder  single-acting  engine  is  placed  vertically  under  a 
bonnet  in  front  of  the  car,  where  it  is  surrounded  by  a  water- 
tank.  The  crank  chamber  is  entirely  enclosed,  and  the  big-ends 
and  shafts  run  in  graphite  grease.  The  engine  drives  direct  to 
a  differential  shaft  situated  under  the  frame  a  little  to  the  rear 
of  the  middle  of  the  car.  From  this  differential  shaft  eccentrics 
work  the  various  pumps,  and  from  it  also  the  rear  wheels  are 


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146  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

driven  by  means  of  outside  sprockets  and  chains.  The  remark- 
able simplicity  of  the  car  is  its  strong  point.  Unlike  the  ordi- 
nary boiler,  the  generator  contains  no  water  at  all,  but  only 
steam  ;  and  unlike  other  flash  generators,  it  always  contains 
a  reserve  of  steam.  The  water  enters  the  heated  tubes  at  the 
bottom,  is  flashed  into  steam,  travels  upwards  through  a  series 
of  tubes  (some  200  feet  in  all),  passes  down  again,  and  then 
enters  the  outside  coils,  where  there  is  always  a  reserve  of 
steam.  The  water  is  delivered  to  the  boiler  by  a  very  large 
feed  pump,  which  works  continuously  by  means  of  an  eccentric 
from  the  differential  shaft,  and  its  entrance  to  the  boiler  is  regu- 
lated by  an  extremely  ingenious  arrangement  which  is  shown 
in  the  accompanying  drawing. 

This  water  control  is  so  designed  that  on  the  steam  reaching 
any  given  pressure,  which  can  be  determined  and  altered  by 
adjustment,  the  water  is  returned  to  the  tank  and  no  more 
enters  the  generator  until  the  pressure  falls  below  the  fixed 
point.  At  the  top  of  this  water-bottle  there  is  always  a  cushion 
of  air  at  exactly  the  same  pressure  as  that  of  the  steam  in  the 
boiler  ;  and  on  the  car  being  stopped  and  the  control  mechanism 
locked,  this  air  pressure  remains  constant  at  exactly  the  steam 
pressure  which  existed  at  the  moment  the  car  stopped.  The 
fire  is  cut  down  with  the  same  movement  as  shuts  off  the 
steam,  and  leaves  a  pilot  light  burning  with  just  sufficient 
strength  to  keep  the  generator  hot.  So  that  supposing  even 
that  the  car  has  been  left  standing  for  three  or  four  hours,  all 
that  is  necessary  for  the  operator  when  he  returns  is  to  unlock 
the  control,  when  the  air  pressure  in  the  bottle  immediately 
forces  the  water  into  the  generator,  and  there  is  instantaneously 
produced  a  pressure  of  steam  practically  equal  to  that  existing 
when  the  car  was  brought  to  rest.  The  fire  is  opened  at  the 
first  movement  of  the  throttle,  and  the  process  of  steam 
generation  is  carried  on  automatically.  In  the  drawing  A 
represents  a  water-bottle  into  which  is  forced  water  through 
the  delivery  pipe  from  the  pump.  From  the  water-bottle  the 
water  circulates  through  a  pipe  to  the  generator  and  continues 
to  do  so  until  the  pressure  in  the  generator  reaches  the  point 
that  the  control  is  fixed  at.  At  that  point  the  check  valve 
which  is  inserted  in  the  pipe  between  the  bottle  and  the  genera- 
tor closes,  and  the  water  pressure  then  acts  on  a  plunger  (B) 


PLAN    VIEW   OF   S.M.   CHASSIS 


STEAM   CARS 


147 


which  raises  a  spindle  and  lifts  a  steel  ball  off  its  seating  at 
C  ;  the  water  then  runs  back  to  the  tank.  Immediately  the 
pressure  in  the  generator  drops  below  the  point  at  which  the 
control  is  set,  the  ball  reseats  itself,  the  water  again  circulates 
to  the  generator,  and  thus  the  pressure  is  maintained.  X  is 
the  air  space  in  the  water-bottle  which  ensures  an  easy  flow  and 


^.-M.  tilater  ConhtC 


PATENT  CONTROL  OF  THE  S.-M.  CAR 


no  jerky  movement  of  the  steam  gauge.  By  the  closing  of 
the  valve  between  the  water-bottle  and  the  generator  when  the 
car  is  stopped,  this  water  in  the  water-bottle  is  retained  under 
pressure. 

The  driving  of  the  car  is  by  a  slide  throttle,  which  also 
regulates  the  supply  of  fuel  to  the  furnace.  The  accelerator, 
actuated  by  means  of  a  pedal,  closes  off  the  automatic  control, 
so  that  the  whole  of  the  water  supplied  by  the  pump  is  de- 


'^w^rm 


STEAM   CARS  149 

livered  to  the  generator,  instead  of  being  bye-passed  back  to 
the  tank.  This  gives  an  instantaneous  increase  of  steam 
pressure  in  the  generator  and  consequently  of  power  in  the 
engine. 

The  steam,  on  passing  out  of  the  exhaust,  is  led  at  once  into 
the  large  radiator  within  the  bonnet,  whence  it  is  drawn  by  a 
third  pump  driven  from  the  differential  shaft  and  discharged 
in  the  form  of  water  into  the  water-tank.  The  specially  large 
pump  which  draws  it  from  the  radiator  into  the  water-tank 
does  away  with  any  possibility  of  back  pressure,  as  it  is  so 
powerful  that  it  tends  almost  to  create  a  vacuum  in  the  con- 
denser and  so  to  suck  out  the  exhaust  steam  from  the  engine 
with  considerable  power.  The  filtering  arrangements  are  very 
simple,  consisting  merely  of  a  small  wad  of  waste  which  it  is 
only  necessary  to  renew  after  every  run  of  two  hundred  miles. 
The  water  and  paraffin  carried  will  take  the  car  at  least  the 
same  distance,  the  consumption  of  paraffin  being  approximately 
one  gallon  to  every  twenty  miles.  This  range  is  unprecedented 
in  a  steam  car,  and  exceeds  that  of  many  petrol  cars.  The 
engine  here  described,  the  cylinders  of  which  are  2h  inches  in 
diameter  by  3I  inches  stroke,  develops  normally  8h  h.p.,  and  can 
drive  the  car  at  a  speed  of  forty  miles  an  hour.  The  engines  of 
the  20  h.p.  and  35  h.p,  cars  are  a  little  larger,  the  generators  more 
powerful,  and  the  transmission  gear  much  stronger.  I  believe 
Mr.  Shave  is  the  first  motor-car  engineer  to  reinforce  his  crank 
shaft  gradually  towards  the  rear  end,  where  the  twisting  strain 
is  far  greater.  In  a  four-cylinder  car  the  strains  are  cumulative 
to  the  rearward  crank,  and  in  the  S.-M.  car  there  is  a  difference 
of  I  inch  in  the  diameter  of  the  front  and  rear  bearings  of  the 
crank  shaft. 

The  frame  of  the  chassis  is  the  ordinary  pressed  steel  frame 
as  generally  used  on  a  petrol  car  ;  and  the  low  centre  of  gravity 
and  long  wheel-base — 9  feet  6  inches — help  the  beautifully 
smooth  running  of  the  machine.  There  are  the  usual  brakes 
on  the  driving  shaft  and  on  the  rear  driving  wheels  them- 
selves. Lubrication  is  positive  and  automatic  to  all  the  working 
parts  ;  and  the  steam  itself  is  lubricated,  oil  being  automatically 
pumped  into  the  main  steam  pipe  just  before  the  point  at  which 
it  enters  the  steam  chest,  ensuring  an  equal  distribution  through 
all  four  valves.     The  few  simple  controlling  levers  are  at  the 


150  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

operator's  right  hand  and  on  the  steering  post,  while  the 
pressure  gauges  and  lubricating  taps  are  all  brought  on  to 
the  dashboard  immediately  in  front  of  him.  There  are  no 
spindles  working  through  glands,  so  that  the  old  continuous 
trouble  of  steam  cars  is  done  away  with.  The  only  glands  are 
those  working  the  slide  valves  ;  but  as  these  are  actuated  by 
a  lever  working  through  the  exhaust  port,  and  the  spindle 
which  works  in  the  gland  has  a  rotary  motion  only,  there  can 
be  no  trouble  from  packing  in  this  gland.  The  ordinary 
Stephenson  link  motion  is  employed  for  reversing,  and  for 
linking  up  the  engine  for  the  purpose  of  economising  steam  on 
level  roads.     The  car  is  fitted  with  a  phaeton  body. 

The  paraffin  burner  designed  for  this  car  by  Mr.  Shave  is 
a  triumph  of  efficiency  and  simplicity.  Everyone  who  has  had 
to  do  with  paraffin  burners  knows  the  drawbacks  that  have 
hitherto  distinguished  them  ;  and  that  smell,  dirt,  and  the  con- 
tinual choking  up  of  the  nozzles  and  holes  of  the  burner  were 
not  the  least  of  their  disadvantages.  In  the  new  design 
all  these  troubles  have  disappeared.  His  paraffin  burner  con- 
sists of  a  simple  coiled  steel  tube  through  which  the  paraffin 
runs  and  in  which  it  is  vaporised.  Six  velocity  nozzles  pro- 
ject vertically  underneath  the  fire-box  and  spray  the  vapour 
through  six  i-inch  mixing  tubes,  which  draw  air  from  two  rows 
of  perforations  in  the  surrounding  case  of  the  burner.  By  this 
all  possibility  of  noise  and  back-fire  is  done  away  with.  The 
burner  is,  in  fact,  a  true  Bunsen  burner  of  the  simplest  type. 
A  small  circular  trough  is  fixed  underneath  the  steel  coil,  and 
this  trough  is  filled  with  methylated  spirit  for  the  purpose  of 
starting  the  burner. 

It  is  in  the  construction  of  the  nozzles,  and  in  a  device  for 
cleaning  the  burner,  that  the  ingenuity  of  this  device  is  most 
clearly  shown.  As  the  great  trouble  of  such  a  burner  is  likely 
to  be  the  choking  of  the  nozzles,  the  designer  has  combined 
with  the  valves  which  open  and  close  them  a  fine  steel  needle 
which,  when  the  valves  are  screwed  up,  is  forced  through  the 
nozzles  and  absolutely  clears  them  out.  Every  time,  therefore, 
that  the  valves  are  opened  for  the  purpose  of  starting  the 
burner,  the  nozzles  are  found  in  as  clean  and  open  a  condition 
as  when  they  left  the  shop.  Provision  is  also  made  for  blowing 
steam  through  the  burner  by  means  of  a  valve  fitted  at  a  point 


PARAFFIN    BURNER   OF   THE   S.-M.    STEAM   CAR 


152  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

in  the  pipe  conveying  paraffin  to  the  burner.  If  this  valve  is 
open  to  paraffin  it  is  closed  to  steam  ;  but  on  shutting  off  the 
paraffin  after  a  run,  the  steam  which  remains  in  the  generator 
is  allowed  to  blow  right  through  the  burner  and  so  assist  in 
keeping  it  absolutely  clear  and  clean.  Although  there  is  no 
position  in  which  this  tap  is  open  both  to  steam  and  paraffin, 
there  is  a  position  in  which  it  is  closed  to  both.  The  tanks 
which  supply  the  burner  are  of  ample  size,  but  only  a  small  one 
is  used  for  containing  the  paraffin  under  pressure,  supplies  for 
this  tank  being  automatically  pumped  from  the  main  supply. 

A  very  careful  study  of  this  car,  both  in  general  design  and  in 
detail,  has  convinced  me  that  in  it  virtually  all  the  disadvantages 
of  the  steam  engine  as  compared  with  the  petrol  motor  have 
been  eliminated,  and  that  the  universally  admitted  advantages 
of  steam  are  given  their  full  value.  A  non-stop  range  of  from 
200  to  250  miles  is  surely  enough  for  the  most  ardent  motorist, 
while  the  simplicity  of  the  engine  and  the  working  parts  will 
make  the  car  an  extremely  cheap  one  to  run.  So  far  as  I  can 
see,  there  is  practically  nothing  that  can  wear  out.  All  the 
bearings,  including  those  on  the  four  road  wheels,  are,  with  one 
exception,  plain  bearings  of  large  size ;  the  exception  is  the 
ball-thrust  bearing  on  the  universally  jointed  driving  shaft,  which 
is  the  only  ball  bearing  on  the  car.  The  valves  have  so  small 
and  simple  a  motion  that  there  can  be  practically  no  wear 
in  their  gear ;  the  generator  cannot  be  burnt  or  scaled  ;  the 
pumps,  being  large  and  slow- moving,  should  be  almost  in- 
destructible ;  while  the  engine  itself  represents  motive  power 
reduced  to  the  very  elements  of  simplicity.  So  that  with 
power,  smoothness,  elasticity,  silence,  simplicity,  ease  of  control, 
cheapness  of  first  cost  and  upkeep  combined  in  one  vehicle, 
there  does  not  seem  to  be  much  room  for  defects.  The  great 
simplicity  of  the  "  S.-M."  car,  together  with  the  fact  that  it  is 
completely  automatic  and  that  it  contains  practically  nothing 
that  can  wear  out  or  give  trouble,  differentiates  it  from  every 
other  make  of  steam  car,  and  ought  to  do  much  to  restore 
steam  to  that  position  in  the  favour  of  motorists  which  it  has 
recently  lost. 


CHAPTER   VI 
ELECTRIC   CARS 

An  infant  science — Where  is  Mr.  Edison's  accumulator  ? — The  ideal  town  carriage — 
The  Electromobile — A  luxurious  carriage — The  City  and  Suburban  electric  cars 
— Taking  an  electric  brougham  to  the  country — The  care  of  batteries — Two 
golden  rules. 

SO  far  as  general  utility  is  concerned,  electric  motor-cars  are 
in  an  infinitely  less  advanced  condition  of  development 
than  either  steam  or  petrol  cars.  There  is  practically  only  one 
system  of  applying  the  motive  power,  and  that  is  by  means 
of  electricity  stored  in  accumulators  which  are  carried  on  the 
car  itself  The  current  thus  stored  is  passed  into  an  electric 
motor  or  reversed  dynamo,  the  principle  of  which  consists  of  a 
series  of  insulated  wires  revolving  in  a  magnetic  field.  This 
motor  either  drives  through  gearing  to  the  rear  wheels  in  the 
usual  way,  or  there  may  be  two  motors,  one  mounted  on  each 
of  the  front  wheels,  so  that  no  transmission  shaft  or  gearing 
is  necessary.  The  car  is  driven  and  the  speed  altered  by  means 
of  a  switch  placed  on  the  steering  pillar,  which  alters  the  power 
of  the  motor,  reverses  it  altogether,  or  by  turning  it  into  a 
dynamo,  causes  it  to  act  as  a  powerful  brake.  In  spite  of  the 
boast  of  Mr.  Edison's  friends,  no  system  has  yet  been  invented 
for  storing  electricity  lightly,  inexpensively,  and  in  small  com- 
pass ;  the  result  is  that  electric  cars  have  to  carry  a  great  dead 
weight  about  with  them,  and  in  addition  are  limited  to  a  com- 
paratively small  range  of  activity,  the  average  of  which  may 
be  taken  as  forty  or  fifty  miles.  And  such  a  car,  if  its  store 
of  electricity  gives  out  at  any  place  other  than  an  electric 
charging  station,  is  helpless. 

Until,  therefore,  the  new  method  of  storing  electricity,  which 
is  the  goal  of  all  electrical  invention  at  the  present  day,  is 

153 


154  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

discovered,  electric  motor-cars  must  remain  useless  for  all  but 
certain  specialised  purposes,  such  purposes  being  compatible 
with  a  very  limited  radius  of  activity.  Within  these  limits, 
however,  the  electric  motor-car  presents  certain  obvious  ad- 
vantages. Electricity  is  silent,  invisible,  and  perfectly  smooth 
in  its  action  ;  it  can  be  set  to  work  by  the  movement  of  a 
switch ;  it  is  always  ready,  needing  no  preparation  for  work 
and  requiring  no  skill  in  its  control ;  and  it  is  as  clean  as  it 
is  invisible.  Such  qualities  mark  it  out  as  specially  suitable 
for  the  purpose  of  driving  town  carriages  or  broughams,  in 
the  use  of  which  there  is  more  starting  and  stopping  in  propor- 
tion to  the  distance  travelled  than  in  that  of  any  other  private 
vehicle,  in  which  silence  and  smoothness  of  running  are 
essential  qualities,  and  where  anything  like  oil,  dirt,  or  visible 
and  malodorous  vapour  are  intolerable.  For  such  a  purpose 
the  electric  motor  is  eminently  adapted,  and  for  such  a  purpose 
it  is  almost  exclusively  used  in  this  country.  All  Londoners 
are  familiar  with  the  long  lines  of  electric  broughams,  landaus, 
and  victorias  in  Hyde  Park  and  in  the  West  End  streets ;  in 
fact,  between  the  hours  of  midday  and  midnight  it  would  be 
difficult  to  get  a  view  of  any  West  End  thoroughfare  in  which 
one  or  more  of  them  were  not  included.  For  dwellers  in 
country-houses  where  there  is  an  electric  lighting  plant  the  use 
of  electric  carriages  is,  of  course,  quite  possible  ;  and  for  ladies 
or  invalids  who  wish  to  drive  themselves  about  a  park  or  estate 
there  is  a  great  utility  in  a  low-hung  electric  run-about  geared 
to  a  low  speed,  for  it  is  practically  the  only  motor  vehicle  which 
can  be  driven  safely  by  nervous  or  invalid  people.  But  beyond 
this,  electric  motor-cars  have  practically  no  advantages  for 
country  work  in  which  they  are  not  surpassed  by  steam  or 
petrol  vehicles  ;  and  their  disadvantages  and  limitations  are  so 
grave  as  to  put  them  practically  out  of  the  running  of  anything 
but  town  work. 

The  usual  method  of  working  an  electric  carriage  is,  as 
I  have  said,  by  means  of  accumulators  which  are  charged  from 
a  main  electric  current.  These  accumulators  generally  consist 
of  an  even  number  of  cells,  each  one  of  which  forms  by  itself  a 
complete  electric  unit,  with  positive  and  negative  poles.  This 
cell  consists  of  a  glass  or  ebonite  jar  containing  two  sets  of  lead 
plates — one  a  positive  plate,  the  other  a  negative — which  are 


KI.KCTRO.M(^l;ll.K    I.AXDA'JLKT— CLOSKD 


KLECTRO.MOHII.K    LAM )AULET— OPEN 


ELECTRIC   CARS  155 

electrically  insulated  from  each  other.  The  cell  is  filled  with 
a  dilute  solution  of  sulphuric  acid  ;  and  when  the  cell  has  been 
charged,  it  will  store  up  an  electric  current  which  is  given 
off  when  a  wire  from  the  positive  plate  is  connected  with  a  wire 
from  the  negative  plate.  By  connecting  groups  of  these  cells 
in  various  ways,  different  pressures  of  current  can  be  obtained 
from  them.  Cells  are  said  to  be  connected  in  parallel  when  all 
the  positive  plates  are  formed  by  the  wire  and  all  the  negative 
plates  by  another  ;  they  are  said  to  be  connected  in  series  when 
the  positive  plate  of  each  cell  is  connected  to  the  negative  plate 
of  the  next. 

The  current  thus  obtained  is  passed  into  the  motor — a  con- 
trivance in  which  the  magnetic  properties  of  the  electric  poles 
are  employed  to  revolve  a  drum  of  coiled  wire.  The  principle 
that  opposite  poles  attract  each  other  is  utilised  by  means 
of  a  mechanism  which  alternately  produces  in  a  piece  of  metal 
a  north  and  south  pole,  a  circular  movement  being  thus  set 
up  which  persists  so  long  as  the  current  is  flowing  through  the 
motor. 

There  are  many  forms  of  carriage  in  which  this  principle 
is  applied  ;  and  in  America  especially  there  has  been  a  great 
vogue  in  light  electric  "  run-abouts,"  such  as  I  have  already 
referred  to.  In  England,  however,  these  are  comparatively 
little  used,  and  the  form  in  which  the  electric  vehicle  is  best 
known  and  most  popular  is  that  of  the  town  brougham  or 
landau.  The  two  chief  forms  of  electric  carriages  used  in  this 
country  are  those  of  the  Electromobile  Company  and  of  the 
City  and  Suburban  Electric  Carriage  Company. 

THE    ELECTROMOBILE 

The  Electromobile  cars  are  made  in  three  types — the  Landau- 
lette  for  two  or  four  people,  the  Brougham,  and  the  Victoria. 
All  these,  however,  are  mounted  on  one  type  of  chassis,  the 
arrangement  of  which  is  shown  in  the  accompanying  plan.  The 
battery  (the  case  containing  the  accumulators)  is  slung  under 
the  frame  in  the  middle  of  the  carriage,  and  consists  of  forty- 
four  cells  of  a  special,  light,  pasted  type.  Its  capacity  is 
135  ampere  hours,  which  gives  a  running  of  thirty  or  forty 
miles.     Its  position  under  the  carriage  assists  materially  in  the 


156  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

prevention  of  side-slip,  as  its  weight  (about  lo  cwt.)  brings  the 
centre  of  gravity  down  very  low.  It  also  assists  in  the  rapid 
interchange  of  batteries,  as  in  the  Electromobile  garage  the 
accumulator  box  is  lowered  from  its  position  by  a  hydraulic 
lift  and  one  freshly  charged  put  in  its  place,  the  whole  operation 
occupying  only  three  or  four  minutes.  Unlike  the  City  and 
Suburban  carriages,  the  Electromobile  is  driven  by  a  single 
motor  of  8  b.h.p.,  which  for  short  periods  can  exert  over  i6h.p. 
It  is  of  the  ironclad  type,  bi-polar,  and  wound  in  series,  having 
two  separate  commutators  connected  to  separate  armature 
winding.  The  arrangement  of  field  castings  and  bobbins 
avoids  all  magnetic  joints  and  results  in  a  total  suppression 
of  sparking.  It  drives  through  a  double  train  of  double  helical 
gearing  to  the  differential  on  the  rear  axle,  and  thence  to  the 
hubs  of  the  rear  wheels  by  live  shafts.  The  entire  motor,  gear, 
and  shafting  are  enclosed  ;  the  gear  runs  in  oil  which  is  thereby 
circulated  through  the  bearings,  and  can  only  escape  after 
reaching  the  hubs  of  the  road  wheels.  The  controller  gives 
forward  speeds  ranging  from  three  to  fifteen  miles  an  hour, 
two  electric  brakes,  and  one  reverse  speed.  Steering  is  by  a 
wheel  and  spindle  working  through  bevelled  gearing  to  the  road 
wheels.  There  is  a  powerful  expanding  foot  brake  working  in 
sheaves  forming  part  of  the  hubs  on  the  rear  wheel,  the  pedal 
being  so  arranged  that  before  the  brake  is  applied  the  electric 
current  is  cut  out. 

The  principal  features  of  the  Electromobiles  are  the  excel- 
lence of  their  design,  which  places  the  driver's  seat  low  down, 
where  he  does  not  obscure  the  view  from  the  front  windows, 
the  great  comfort  and  luxury  of  the  carriages,  and  the  simplicity 
of  the  driving  mechanism  and  the  soundness  of  its  workman- 
ship, which  is  English  throughout.  Tyres  of  an  exceptionally 
large  diameter  are  fitted  to  these  carriages  and  add  much  to  the 
luxury  and  comfort  of  their  running.  The  carriage  work  is 
first-rate  in  every  way,  and  my  own  experience  of  the  Electro- 
mobile vehicles  is  that  they  represent  the  acme  of  smartness 
and  luxury  that  can  be  attained  in  a  town  motor-car. 


CEBl 


158  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

THE   CITY   AND   SUBURBAN   COMPANY'S   CARRIAGES 

The  City  and  Suburban  electric  motor-cars  do  not  differ  very 
greatly  from  those  of  the  Electromobile  Company,  the  chief 
points  of  difference  being  that  they  are  driven  by  two  motors 
instead  of  one,  each  motor  being  geared  directly  to  one  of  the 
back  wheels,  and  the  batteries,  instead  of  being  slung  in  a 
cradle  underneath  the  car,  are  placed  in  cases  in  front  and 
behind  the  carriage  body.  The  makers  claim  that  the  advan- 
tage of  this  system  outweighs  its  disadvantages,  although,  so 
far  as  the  distribution  of  weight  is  concerned,  the  ideal  system 
is  that  of  the  underslung  battery.  But  the  City  and  Suburban 
Company  find  that  many  of  their  customers  like  to  take  their 
carriages  to  the  country,  and  in  that  case  the  accessibility  of  the 
batteries  becomes  an  important  matter.  Without  a  specially 
constructed  mechanical  lift  it  is  difficult  to  get  at  the  underslung 
battery  for  the  purposes  of  examination,  replating,  etc.  Whereas 
when  the  batteries  are  placed  in  external  cases  they  can  be 
removed  in  a  moment.  The  original  design  of  the  City  and 
Suburban  carriages  was  very  much  that  of  an  ordinary 
brougham,  the  driver  being  situated  on  a  high  box  in  front, 
and  it  is  in  this  form  that  these  carriages  are  most  familiar. 
The  advantage  claimed  for  this  somewhat  unsightly  arrange- 
ment is  a  very  substantial  one,  namely,  that  in  case  it  is 
necessary  to  reverse  the  carriage  in  a  crowded  street,  the  driver 
can  see  over  the  top  and  judge  what  room  is  available  for  the 
backward  movement.  In  some  of  the  later  carriages,  however, 
.such  as  that  illustrated,  the  company  has  adopted  the  lower  and 
more  sightly  position  for  the  driver's  seat  which  is  characteristic 
of  the  Electromobile  carriages.  Any  disadvantage  which  this 
arrangement  may  have  in  crowded  traffic  could,  I  think,  be 
eliminated  by  the  use  of  a  mirror  so  fixed  on  the  edge  of  the 
dashboard  as  to  show  to  the  driver  the  position  of  the  traffic 
behind  him. 

The  usual  equipment  of  a  town  landaulet  is  a  44-cell 
battery,  which  is  placed  in  a  wooden  tray  and  slid  into  the  car, 
the  control  being  effected  by  a  drum  which  varies  the  connec- 
tions of  the  batteries.  On  the  first  speed  the  two  sets  of  batteries, 
each  consisting  of  twenty-two  cells,  are  connected  in  parallel 
and  give  only  half  the  possible  voltage.     The  current  is  led  into 


ELECTRIC   CARS  159 

the  controller  from  the  positive  poles  of  the  battery,  and  they 
are  joined  by  the  brass  contacts  on  the  controller  drum.  The 
current  passes  from  the  controller  to  the  armature  of  one  of  the 
motors,  after  which  it  passes  to  the  field  winding,  and  then  back 
to  the  negative  contacts  of  the  battery.  In  the  second  speed 
the  two  sets  of  cells  are  connected  in  series,  but  the  current  is 
delivered  to  both  motors  simultaneously  instead  of  passing 
through  one  to  the  other.  Special  cut-outs  and  plugs  are  pro- 
vided which  make  it  impossible  for  the  carriage  to  be  run  in  the 
absence  of  the  operator,  and  very  efficient  brakes  are  provided. 
The  reverse  is  actuated  by  a  foot  pedal,  and  the  forward  speeds 
by  a  handle.  The  admirable  housing  and  charging  accommo- 
dation of  the  City  and  Suburban  Company  at  "  Niagara,"  West- 
minster, ensure  to  the  owner  of  one  of  their  carriages  the  most 
careful  and  expert  supervision,  as  well  as  every  facility  for  the 
charging  and  repair  of  the  batteries. 

The  care  and  adjustment  of  electric  vehicles  is  so  delicate  a 
matter,  and  requires  so  considerable  a  scientific  knowledge,  that 
the  less  the  amateur  meddles  with  it  the  better.  But  there  are 
one  or  two  simple  matters  which  may  be  pointed  out  to  those 
owners  of  electric  carriages  who  take  them  periodically  into  the 
country  away  from  the  supervision  of  the  makers.  No  carriage, 
to  begin  with,  should  be  taken  into  the  country  without  the 
battery  being  first  examined  to  see  that  it  does  not  require 
replating.  This,  in  the  case  of  the  carriages  in  daily  use  in 
town,  and  running  on  the  average  twenty  or  twenty-five  miles 
a  day,  is  necessary  every  four  months  ;  and  if  the  battery  is  run 
longer  than  this  without  attention,  there  is  danger  that  the  cor- 
rosion of  the  plates,  by  precipitating  a  metallic  deposit  to  the 
bottom  of  the  cells,  may  make  contact  between  their  poles,  and 
so  short-circuit  the  battery.  There  are  also  two  golden  rules  to 
be  observed  in  the  care  of  electric  accumulators  of  any  kind  ; 
one  is  that  the  less  the  battery  is  run  down  before  it  is  re- 
charged the  longer  will  be  its  life  ;  the  other  is  that  the  lower 
the  rate  at  which  the  battery  is  charged  the  better.  The 
batteries  of  an  electric  brougham  or  landau  should  be  charged, 
when  time  permits,  with  a  current  of  lo  amperes.  Where  there 
are  two  batteries  they  can  be  charged  in  parallel,  and  in  that 
case  the  current  may  be  of  40  amperes.  Overcharging,  except 
in  the  case  of  an  entirely  exhausted  battery,  is  damaging ;  and 


160  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

even  in  the  case  of  an  exhausted  battery  the  overcharging 
should  on  no  account  be  at  the  rate  of  more  than  lo  amperes. 
The  44-cell  battery  should  not  be  charged  higher  than  1 1 5 
volts,  or  discharged  lower  than  75  volts;  but  to  attain  a  voltage  of 
1 1 5  on  the  charging  wire  being  disconnected,  it  will  be  necessary 
to  charge  up  to  about  120  volts,  as  the  pressure  will  fall  as  soon 
as  the  charging  wires  are  uncoupled.  The  battery  is  charged 
when  the  liquid  contained  in  the  cells  is  freely  covered  with  the 
bubbles  caused  by  the  gas  which  is  given  off  by  the  plates.  In 
the  case  of  cars  which,  like  those  of  the  City  and  Suburban 
Company,  are  driven  by  motors  geared  directly  to  the  road 
wheels,  a  certain  amount  of  rattling  is  after  a  time  developed, 
owing  to  the  wear  on  the  pinions.  This  is  one  of  the  dis- 
advantages of  this  system,  and  has  in  the  past  been  practically 
unavoidable ;  but  I  am  told  that  the  City  and  Suburban  Com- 
pany have  been  for  some  time  experimenting  with  pinions 
composed  of  various  materials,  and  that  they  have  now  found 
a  material  by  the  use  of  which  they  hope  this  trouble  may  be 
abolished. 


CHAPTER   VII 
THE   SELECTION    OF   A   MOTOR-CAR 

A  bewildering  question — The  future  of  the  cheap  car — Two  hundred  pounds  a 
minimum  price  for  a  touring  car — Cars  made  to  sell  and  cars  made  to  use — The 
second-hand  car — A  difficult  question — The  horse-power  of  a  car — Its  influence 
on  cost  of  up-keep — Which  car? — A  formidable  list — Advice  to  a  millionaire — 
The  poor  man's  problem— Donkey  cart  or  railway  train  ? — Unfair  comparisons — 
The  common  fiiult — -An  unattainable  ideal — The  simple  car — Use  big  tyres — The 
car  for  a  doctor — The  Monday  morning  problem — Cars  and  country-houses — The 
station  bus — Slaves  of  the  desk — The  real  mission  of  motor-cars — The  cheap 
motor  car — Solid  tyres — Their  advantages  and  disadvantages — Where  price  does 
not  matter — Buying  a  car — Tradesmen's  vans — A  proper  trial — Silence  or  loss  of 
power — Steam  cars  and  hills — The  dust  nuisance — A  simple  cure — A  tale  of  two 
cars — Side  entrances. 

IN  an  earlier  chapter  I  outlined  some  of  the  difficulties  which 
lie  in  wait  for  the  happy  man  who  is  about  to  buy  his  first 
motor-car,  and  the  absolute  bewilderment  with  which  the  variety 
of  choice  oppresses  him.  My  advice  to  anybody  in  such  a  case 
would  always  be,  "  Go  to  a  disinterested  expert ;  tell  him  what 
you  want  and  what  you  want  it  for ;  and  let  him  advise  you  as 
to  the  make  or  type  of  car  which  you  ought  to  get."  This, 
however,  is  for  many  people  a  counsel  of  perfection.  The 
spending  of  a  sum  of  money  varying  from  p^i50  to  i^i,500  upon 
a  vehicle  in  which  one  intends  to  travel  oneself  is  not  a  thing 
which  most  men  will  be  disposed  to  resign  entirely  to  the  judg- 
ment of  another  man ;  and  although  that  is  the  only  way  in 
which  they  can  be  sure  of  getting  really  sound  advice,  the  hints 
given  in  this  chapter  may  be  of  service  to  those  who  insist  on 
being  their  own  experts,  in  preventing  them  from  committing 
some  of  the  grosser  mistakes  to  which  the  novice  at  motoring  is 
prone. 

I  am  sorry  to  say,  to  begin  with,  that  I  do  not  know  of  any 
car  costing  less  than  ^200  which  I  could  guarantee  would  give 
absolute  satisfaction  in  fulfilling  the  principal  duties  to  which  a 
M  161 


162  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

motor-car  is  put.  That  there  is  a  great  future  for  cars  costing 
from  i^ioo  to  ;^200,  or  even  less,  I  think  no  one  can  doubt ;  in 
fact,  the  motoring  of  the  future  will,  I  believe,  be  motoring  on 
cheap  and  light  cars ;  but  we  have  not  yet  been  engaged  in  the 
construction  of  such  cars  long  enough  to  be  sure  that  we  have 
learned  quite  the  best  way  to  set  about  designing  them.  There 
are  on  the  market  a  great  many  cheap  English  cars  of  5  or  6  h.p., 
which  look  very  attractive  in  the  show-rooms  or  on  a  trial  run 
round  the  park,  but  which  do  not  turn  out  to  be  very  satisfactory 
with  severe  and  regular  use.  And  in  the  present  condition  of 
the  automobile  industry  there  is  a  great  tendency  to  turn  out 
cars  that  will  sell  rather  than  to  turn  out  cars  that  will  give 
complete  satisfaction.  There  is  one  very  well-known  cheap  car 
which,  although  it  is  being  extensively  sold  at  this  moment,  is  a 
very  far  from  satisfactory  vehicle,  and  is  built  neither  to  last 
long  nor  to  wear  well ;  yet  the  demand  for  cheap  cars  is  so 
great  that  the  experience  of  the  old  purchasers  of  such  a  machine 
is  not  enough  to  discourage  the  flood  of  new  purchasers  who  are 
daily  investing  in  motor-cars.  Moreover,  many  of  the  English 
cars  which  look  so  attractiv^e  in  their  advertisements  are  con- 
structed largely  from  the  old,  discarded  stock  of  some  foreign 
makers,  and  are  by  no  means  built  up  of  newly-designed  parts. 
There  are,  again,  cheap  cars  which  are  made  throughout 
genuinely  enough  from  sound  materials,  but  are  constructed  on 
the  principles  of  large  and  heavy  cars,  and  are  therefore  not 
really  successful  when  asked  to  do  the  work  of  a  light  car.  So 
that  the  purchaser  of  a  motor-car  who  has  less  than  i^200  to 
spend,  and  who  wishes  to  use  his  car  for  touring  purposes,  must 
either  be  content  to  buy  a  good  second-hand  car  or  to  take  the 
risk  of  a  certain  amount  of  trouble  with  a  new  cheap  car.  And 
in  the  case  of  the  second-hand  car  (which  under  these  circum- 
stances I  should  prefer)  it  is  well  to  remember  that  the  advice  of 
an  expert  engineer  is  not  only  well  worth  the  fee  that  it  would 
cost,  but  is  absolutely  essential.  No  one  ignorant  of  horses 
would  dream  of  buying  a  horse  without  the  opinion  of  a  veteri- 
nary surgeon  ;  and  yet  horses  are  never  (so  to  speak)  bought 
new ;  they  are  always  second  or  third  or  fourth  or  fifth  hand, 
whereas  under  ordinary  circumstances  it  may  be  assumed  that 
there  is  something  seriously  against  a  second-hand  motor-car 
until  it  has  been  proved  that  there  is  not.     But  by  carefully 


THE   SELECTION   OF  A   MOTOR-CAR  163 

looking  about  and  by  securing  the  services  of  a  really  capable 
expert,  a  man  of  small  means  may  often  pick  up  a  car  that  is 
practically  as  good  as  new  for  half  or  a  third  of  its  first  cost. 

This  raises  the  further  question  whether,  given  any  sum 
under,  say,  ;^400,  it  is  better  to  buy  a  new  car  or  to  get  hold  of 
a  second-hand  one  in  almost  new  condition  that  would  normally 
cost  several  hundred  pounds  more.  There  is  this  to  be  said 
against  the  second-hand  car,  that  hardly  any  of  the  first-rate 
makes  of  cars,  if  they  are  moderately  new  and  in  sound  condi- 
tion, can  be  picked  up  very  cheaply  second-hand.  Now  and 
then  for  the  man  who  waits  there  is  a  good  bargain  ;  but  it 
is  only  now  and  then.  Such  cars  as  the  Panhard,  the  Mer- 
cedes, the  Daimler,  or  the  De  Dietrich  are  always  more  or  less 
at  a  premium,  and  are  rapidly  bought  up  when  they  come  into 
the  market.  The  bulk  of  second-hand  cars  are  by  makers  of 
no  very  great  reputation,  and  are  to  be  regarded  by  the  pur- 
chaser with  the  very  greatest  suspicion. 

There  is  this  further  consideration  :  a  man  may  have,  say, 
i^400  to  spend  on  a  motor-car  and  no  more.  For  that  sum  he 
may  purchase  a  new  lo  h.p.  car  which  will  give  him  real 
pleasure  and  satisfaction.  Or  he  might,  if  he  fell  in  with  a  lucky 
bargain,  get  the  chance  of  a  15  or  even  a  20  h.p.  car  at  second- 
hand for  the  same  money.  But  we  will  suppose  him,  since  he 
only  has  ^^"400  to  spend  on  the  car,  to  be  a  man  to  whom  the 
cost  of  the  car's  upkeep  will  be  a  consideration,  and  to  such  a 
man  the  purchase  of  a  heavy  car  of  large  horse-power,  even 
supposing  that  it  worked  well  and  proved  to  have  been  well 
worth  the  money  it  cost,  would  probably  be  a  serious  financial 
embarrassment.  It  would  cost  twice  as  much  to  keep  up  as 
the  new  10  h.p,  car  which  he  might  have  had.  Being  a  more 
powerful  car  it  could  be  driven  faster  and  would  consume  tyres 
and  petrol  at  an  alarming  rate ;  it  would  tempt  the  owner  into 
longer  and  more  expensive  journeys,  the  accidents  and  incidents 
of  which  (such  as  wiring  for  tyres,  spare  parts,  etc.)  would  be 
much  more  formidable  than  in  the  case  of  the  10  h.p,  car. 
There  is  a  merciful  ratio  between  the  first  cost  of  the  car  (pro- 
vided it  be  soundly  built)  and  what  it  will  cost  to  keep  it  up 
that  works  in  favour  of  the  man  with  a  small  sum  to  spend. 
The  ,^400  car  may  be  kept  and  used  for  ^^"150  a  year;  the 
^1,000  car  will  probably  cost,  all  told,  ^500  a  year,  so  that  our 


164  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

iJ^400  man,  who  could  not  afford  more  than  i^icx)  or  ^^200  a 
year  for  upkeep,  and  who  should  have  got  as  a  bargain  a  second- 
hand ;^i,ooo  car,  would  probably  find  himself  in  financial  diffi- 
culties before  six  months  were  over.  Except  in  very  rare  cases, 
I  would  advise  a  man  who  can  spend  anything  over  ;6^300  to 
purchase  a  new  car. 

And  now,  indeed,  we  are  only  on  the  very  threshold  of  our  diffi- 
culties. What  car?  That  is  the  question  which  is  being  asked 
every  day  by  hundreds  of  people,  and  it  is  a  question  which  no 
one  can  answer  who  does  not  know  the  whole  circumstances  of 
the  person  who  is  buying  the  car.  Just  to  show  the  reader 
what  a  formidable  task  this  selection  of  a  motor-car  is,  I  will 
give  a  list  of  cars  which  were  exhibited  at  the  Crystal  Palace 
Automobile  Show  of  1904,  with  particulars  and  price  of  each, 
numbered  and  grouped  according  to  price.  The  proprietors  of 
the  Autocar,  who  had  this  list  compiled  at  very  considerable 
trouble  and  expense,  have  kindly  allowed  me  to  print  it.  It  is 
printed  at  the  end  of  the  chapter,  and  may  conveniently  be 
studied  at  this  point. 

I  trust  that  the  reader  is  sufficiently  confounded  by  the 
diversities  of  this  list.  If  he  be  a  prospective  purchaser  he  will 
at  any  rate  be  sobered,  and  will  perhaps  be  more  disposed  than 
he  would  otherwise  have  been  to  listen  to  advice,  even  if  it  be 
only  of  a  vague  and  negative  kind.  I  cannot  repeat  too  often 
that,  though  I  may  seem  to  give  advice  on  broad  lines  in  this 
chapter,  my  only  real  advice  is— go  to  an  expert  whose  character 
and  knowledge  are  beyond  question,  and  who  does  not  receive 
commissions  from  any  makers  or  sellers  of  motor-cars ;  pay 
him  a  fee  and  trust  to  his  judgment.  That,  I  repeat,  is  my  real 
advice.  It  is,  howev^er,  too  simple  and  negative  to  be  entirely 
satisfactory  either  to  the  giver  or  the  receiver.  There  is  hardly 
any  pleasure  equal  to  that  of  giving  advice,  unless  it  be  that 
of  disregarding  it ;  and  in  these  mutual  pleasures  I  and  my 
readers  may  now  indulge  one  another. 

If  you  are  a  millionaire  the  matter  is  very  much  simplified  ; 
you  simply  get  the  best  and  most  expensive  car  on  the  market. 
I  think  it  would  be  generally  admitted  that  in  such  a  class 
the  Mercedes  still  holds  the  field.  This  so  far  represents  the 
perfection  of  strength  and  endurance,  silence  and  sweetness 
of  running,  ease  of  control  and  range  of  speed,  soundness  of 


THE   SELECTION   OF   A   MOTOR-CAR  I65 

design  and  workmanship.  It  is  still  one  of  the  very  fastest 
motor-cars  in  the  world  ;  and  it  is  one  of  the  most  expensive, 
whether  to  purchase  or  maintain.  Its  bill  for  tyres  alone  would 
more  than  swallow  up  what  most  of  us  would  care  to  spend 
on  the  upkeep  of  a  car  altogether,  but  it  still  remains  by  a 
general  consensus  of  opinion  the  best  that  has  been  so  far 
attained,  with  the  Panhard  running  it  very  close  both  in  the 
matter  of  excellence  and  expensiveness.  I  am  not  sure,  indeed, 
that  it  is  the  fault  of  the  makers  of  the  Mercedes  car  that  it 
is  so  expensive ;  I  imagine  that  it  is  the  agents  and  sellers 
of  the  car  who  have  made  its  price  so  exorbitant.  But  at  its 
cheapest  it  is  an  expensive  car,  and  probably  the  best  that  can 
be  bought  for  money;  therefore  the  advice  that  if  you  can  afford 
to  buy  and  keep  a  Mercedes,  do  so. 

But  to  those  who  are  not  millionaires  the  problem  presents 
itself  in  a  much  more  complicated  way.  There  is  the  first 
and  generally  rigid  limitation  of  price;  one  wishes  to  spend  so 
much  and  no  more.  That  narrows  the  field,  but  not  very  much. 
Then  comes  the  question,  What  is  the  car  wanted  for,  and  to 
what  use  is  it  proposed  to  put  it  ?  That  is  an  absolutely 
essential  consideration  in  the  choice  of  a  motor-car.  Another 
is,  How  much  is  the  owner  prepared  to  spend  on  the  upkeep 
of  his  car?  And  that  again  resolves  itself  into  the  question, 
How  much  does  he  expect  it  to  do?  Does  he  want  a  car 
as  a  substitute  for  a  bath-chair,  a  donkey  cart,  a  victoria,  a 
brougham,  or  a  railway  train  ?  Cars  are  on  the  market  which 
will  take  the  place  of  all  these  vehicles,  and  the  invalid  who 
wished  to  drive  himself  about  in  his  own  grounds  would,  even 
putting  cost  out  of  the  question,  be  as  badly  off  with  a  60  h.p. 
Mercedes  as  the  man  who  wished  to  tour  the  Continent  of 
Europe  would  be  with  an  Oldsmobile.  Yet  people  are  often 
most  unreasonable  and  vague  both  in  their  expectations  of 
what  a  car  ought  to  do,  and  in  their  subsequent  comparisons 
between  the  cost  of  a  motor-car  and  the  cost  of  a  carriage.  It 
is  not  fair  to  compare  the  cost  of  a  machine  which  performs 
on  occasion  the  duties  of  a  barouche,  a  perambulator,  a  hurri- 
cane, and  a  railway  train  with  the  cost  of  a  carriage  and  pair 
of  horses.  So  that  the  first  thing  to  be  done  in  the  selection  of 
a  car  is  to  think  out  very  clearly  the  desires  and  particulars 
of  the  owner  in  the  way  of  using  the  car,  the   money  he  is 


166  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

prepared  to  spend  on  keeping  it  up,  and  the  amount  of  work 
which  he  expects  to  get  out  of  it. 

The  commonest  fault  in  the  buyer  of  a  motor-car  is  that  he 
expects  too  much  from  it.  Almost  any  type  of  motor-car  can 
do  so  much  more  than  any  other  vehicle  of  its  size  that  there 
is  often  an  idea  in  the  mind  of  the  novice  that  it  ought  to  be 
able  to  do  everything.  But  machinery,  like  men  and  horses, 
is  capable  of  fatigue,  of  strain,  and  of  being  worn  out ;  and 
every  machine  is  calculated  to  do  a  certain  amount  of  work, 
but  no  more.  The  motorist  will  therefore  do  well  to  ascertain 
what  his  machine  is  capable  of,  and  to  ask  of  it  always  a  little 
less  than  that.  The  lower  the  price  of  a  motor-car,  the  less 
(as  a  rule)  it  is  capable  of  accomplishing  both  in  speed  and 
endurance.  So  that  the  man  who  pays  a  moderate  price  will 
get  all  the  more  value  for  his  money  if  he  saves  his  machine 
as  much  as  possible,  abstains  from  running  it  all  day  long  at 
the  top  of  its  speed,  and  sees  that  it  gets  proper  care  and 
attention  in  the  motor  house. 

We  will  consider  one  of  the  most  usual  cases  first — that  of 
the  man  who  has  not  previously  owned  carriages  of  any  kind, 
and  who  wishes  to  get  a  motor-car  for  the  purpose  of  indulging 
in  the  new  pastime.  These  people  are  often  the  most  severe  on 
their  cars,  as  the  owners  of  horse-drawn  vehicles  have  got  into 
the  habit  of  considering  their  horses,  and  even  their  carriages, 
and  of  adjusting  their  work  with  some  regard  to  their  capacities. 
But  the  man  whose  first  vehicle  is  a  motor-car  is  apt  to  limit  his 
demands  upon  it  only  by  his  own  inclinations,  which,  as  he  is  a 
novice  and  an  enthusiast,  are  apt  to  be  much  in  excess  of  what 
the  car  can  perform.  What  qualities  should  such  a  man  look 
for  in  his  car?  I  may  say  at  once  that  the  ideal  of  the  be- 
ginner at  motoring,  i.e.  a  car  that  will  travel  all  day  at  sixty 
miles  an  hour,  never  need  any  repairs,  will  be  easy  on  its  tyres, 
carry  six  people  and  luggage,  and  be  within  the  reach  of  the 
man  of  moderate  means — is  at  present  unattainable.  But  such 
a  man  may  nevertheless  procure  a  very  serviceable  car  that  will 
fulfil  at  least  some  of  his  purposes.  We  will  assume  that  he 
himself  is  without  expert  mechanical  knowledge,  and  proposes 
to  keep  his  car  under  the  care  of  an  odd  job  man.  For  such  a 
man  a  simple  car  is  of  great  importance,  partly  because,  as  he  is 
not  unlikely  to  misuse  it  in  the  early  days,  repairs  will  be  less 


THE   SELECTION   OF  A   MOTOR-CAR  167 

expensive  than  in  the  case  of  complex  cars,  and  partly  because 
the  average  inexpert  motor  man  is  human,  and  will  be  more 
likely  to  keep  such  a  car  in  an  efficient  condition.  If  our  friend 
is  a  business  man,  his  car  will  probably  be  in  use  during  the 
week-ends,  and  will  chiefly  be  wanted  for  country  tours,  in 
which  strength  and  simplicity,  and  ability  to  stand  a  consider- 
able strain  for  short  periods  at  a  time,  are  qualities  greatly  to  be 
desired.  Appearance,  although  it  ought  to  be  as  much  studied  in 
an  inexpensive  car  as  in  a  costly  one,  is  not  the  most  important 
thing;  nor,  I  may  add,  is  the  colour  of  the  paint  nor  the  external 
finish.  For  such  a  purpose  I  would  strongly  recommend  a  two- 
or  at  most  three-cylinder  car  of  about  lo  h.p.,  with  simple 
and  accessible  valve  gear — its  accessibility  is  a  very  important 
point — and  driven  by  chains  rather  than  by  a  driving  shaft  and 
live  axle.  If  the  car  has  four  speeds  (and  if  there  is  an  adequate 
throttle  control  three  ought  to  be  enough),  the  direct  drive 
should  not,  in  my  opinion,  be  on  the  top  speed,  but  be  on  the 
third,  where  it  will  be  most  used,  and  where  its  benefits  will  be 
most  felt.  Above  all,  our  friend  should  insist  on  tyres  of  ample 
size  being  fitted  throughout  the  car,  or  at  any  rate  on  the 
driving  wheels.  It  will  cost  a  little  more  in  the  first  place,  but  it 
will  be  an  economy  in  the  end.  Such  a  car  will  not  be  the  most 
silent  on  the  road,  but  with  proper  care  it  will  do  honest  work 
and  carry  its  owner  safely  and  punctually  over  several  hundred 
miles  a  week. 

We  will  now  take  another  case,  and  suppose  that  a  motor-car 
is  required  by  a  doctor  or  other  man  whose  duties  require  that 
he  shall  make  a  great  number  of  short  journeys  in  all  kinds  of 
weather,  and  to  whom  the  temporary  laying  up  of  his  car  at 
intervals  at  all  frequent  would  be  a  serious  inconvenience.  In 
this  case  first-class  workmanship  in  every  detail  is  of  prime 
importance,  and  the  car  must  be  one  to  be  relied  upon.  If  the 
work  required  of  the  car  is  such  as  to  necessitate  a  great  deal  of 
starting  and  stopping,  I  would  suggest  a  steam  car,  since  the 
petrol  car  is  not  seen  to  advantage  under  such  conditions,  to 
which,  however,  the  steam  car  is  admirably  adapted.  There 
is  no  danger  of  overheating,  and  the  unpleasantness  of  having 
the  engine  running  while  the  car  is  waiting  before  a  house  in 
a  quiet  street  is  avoided.  In  the  case  of  a  steam  car,  however, 
it  is  important  that  the  car  should  be  able  to  start  away  with 


168  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

a  very  few  minutes  of  preparation,  as  the  exigencies  of  such 
work  often  demand  a  hurried  setting  out  at  untimely  hours.  If 
the  doctor  is  not  able  to  command  the  services  of  a  mechanic 
at  all  hours,  however,  he  must  see  that  his  steam  car  is  equipped 
with  a  furnace  that  can  either  safely  be  left  burning,  or  can 
easily  be  rekindled  ;  as  the  dangers  of  leaving  a  petrol  fire 
burning,  which,  should  it  blow  out,  would,  by  the  consequent  re- 
duction of  steam  pressure,  cause  a  blast  of  crude  petrol  to  be 
given  off,  are  many  and  serious. 

Where  a  car  is  wanted  to  take  the  place  of  a  carriage  and 
pair  for  town  work,  nothing  can  be  better  than  an  electric 
brougham  or  landaulette,  which,  indeed,  does  the  work  of  two 
or  three  pairs  of  horses.  But  there  is  one  case  in  which  motor- 
cars are  not  nearly  enough  used  and  in  which  they  would  be 
unfailingly  useful ;  and  that  is,  the  case  of  a  country-house 
where  much  entertaining  is  done.  As  long  visits  become  more 
and  more  rare,  and  the  habit  of  rushing  into  the  country  for 
week-ends  more  and  more  popular,  the  Friday  or  Saturday 
afternoon  problem,  to  say  nothing  of  the  Monday  morning 
problem,  is  becoming  a  very  serious  one  in  many  country-house 
stables.  With  the  guests  arriving  by  train  at  all  hours  during 
the  afternoon,  the  work  of  the  horses,  whether  in  a  brougham 
or  a  station  bus,  is  very  severe,  and  in  bad  weather  especially 
so.  There  is  many  a  stable  where  four  additional  horses  have 
to  be  kept  for  this  and  no  other  purpose — horses  which  possibly 
spend  the  week  standing  in  the  stable  and  eating  their  heads 
off.  Apart  from  the  expense  of  such  an  arrangement,  the 
damage  to  the  horses  is  both  inconvenient  and  unpleasant  to 
a  man  who  cares  for  his  animals.  In  this  case  it  seems  to  me 
that  a  motor-car  is  indispensable — not,  be  it  noted,  as  a  rival 
to  the  stables,  but  as  a  help  to  them.  For  such  a  purpose  I 
would  recommend  a  15  or  20  h.p.  motor-car  with  solid  rubber 
tyres  on  the  driving  wheels,  and  with  a  covered  bus  body 
capable  of  holding  six  people  at  least,  and  with  accommodation 
for  luggage  at  the  top.  It  is  a  convenience  also  in  the  design 
of  such  a  vehicle  if  a  second  outside  seat  can  be  placed  behind 
the  driver — say  across  the  front  of  the  roof — for  the  accom- 
modation of  servants,  as  in  some  of  the  old  Daimler  buses 
A  vehicle  like  this  could  carry  luggage  and  passengers  back- 
wards and  forwards  all  day  long  and  never  be  a  penny  the 


THE   SELECTION   OF   A   MOTOR-CAR  169 

worse.  Some  people,  I  know,  are  too  much  afraid  of  their 
coachmen  and  head  grooms  to  suggest  the  keeping  of  the 
motor-car  after  which  in  their  hearts  they  hanker ;  but  if  they 
will  try  this  plan  as  a  beginning,  treating  the  motor-car  not  as 
a  serious  or  important  vehicle  in  itself,  but  merely  as  a  dis- 
honoured drudge,  retained  to  wait  upon  and  relieve  the  delicate 
inmates  of  the  stable,  they  will  find  opinion  in  the  harness-room 
rapidly  veering  round  in  favour  of  the  new-fangled  machines  ; 
so  that  in  time,  and  by  the  use  of  discretion  and  tact,  they  may 
see  the  whole  of  the  stables  adapted  to  the  requirements  of 
Mercedes,  Panhard,  and  Napier,  and  John  James  himself  grind- 
ing exhaust  valves. 

But  there  is  a  humbler,  yet  I  venture  to  say  a  more  important, 
class  than  that  represented  by  the  possessors  of  large  country 
establishments,  to  whom  the  advent  of  the  motor-car  has  con- 
ferred the  freedom  of  the  road,  restoring  to  them  their  birth- 
right of  fresh  air  and  sunshine,  green  fields  and  wayside 
pleasures.  I  refer  to  that  large  class  of  the  population  repre- 
sented by  men  who  toil  all  the  week  at  city  desks,  and  whose 
home  life  is  lived  in  the  dreary  and  cramping  environment  of 
city  suburbs  ;  men  of  hard  work  and  small  incomes,  men,  in- 
deed, of  "  moderate "  means,  yet  men  on  whom  much  of  the 
burden  of  their  country's  life  falls,  and  with  whom  the  pressing 
problem  is  not  how  to  kill  time,  but  how  to  economise  it  ;  not 
how  to  make  tolerable  the  empty  hours  of  leisure  paid  for  by 
the  toil  of  others,  but  how  to  possess  and  cultivate  the  few  day- 
light hours  of  rest  which  their  slavery  to  the  desk  allows  them. 
To  such  men  as  these,  to  their  wives  and  families,  the  advent  of 
a  means  of  locomotion  which  will  endow  them  again  with  the 
pleasures  of  the  country  and  the  road  is  nothing  less  than 
epoch-making.  I  speak,  of  course,  of  a  class  which  is  not  in 
financial  poverty,  but  dwells  rather  in  an  aesthetic  and  vital 
poverty  born  of  the  cramped  and  unnatural  life  of  cities,  its 
cramped  and  unnatural  labours,  its  cramped  and  unnatural 
pleasures.  Beyond  the  confines  of  the  city  and  the  suburbs, 
and,  but  for  the  limited  services  of  the  bicycle,  beyond  the  ken 
and  enjoyment  of  the  people  of  whom  I  speak,  has  lain  unknown 
and  unvisited  the  good  life  of  the  English  country-side,  its 
spaces  and  silences,  its  winding  roads  and  peaceful  landscapes. 
To  these  the  motor-car  has  restored  thousands  who  had  other- 


170  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

wise  been  hopelessly  engulfed  in  the  cities.  To  them  the 
possession  of  a  vehicle  which  will  act  as  a  key  to  so  much  of 
health  and  pleasure  is  a  boon  the  value  of  which  it  would  not 
be  easy  to  exaggerate.  I  wish  I  could  think  that  a  time  would 
soon  come  when  the  price  of  a  motor-car  to  be  owned  for  such 
a  purpose  would  fall  well  below  iJ^iOO  ;  but  I  fear  such  a  possi- 
bility is  not  yet  on  the  horizon.  Yet  for  the  enormous  numbers 
of  people  to  whom  the  outlay  of  ;^ioo  is  as  impossible  as  the 
outlay  of  ;i^  1,000,  there  exists  to-day  the  motor-bicycle,  a 
marvellously  efficient  and  trustworthy  little  vehicle  which,  with 
its  fore-carriage  or  trailer,  has  opened  up  for  so  many  the  world 
of  English  roads.  It  is  astonishing  how  many  people  earning 
only  a  pound  or  two  a  week  find  the  means  to  become  possessed 
of  motor-bicycles  ;  for  such  people  the  gradual  payment  system 
has  provided  a  real  boon.  And  although  I  despair  of  the 
motor-car  as  a  privately  owned  vehicle  ever  being  within  the 
reach  of  those  whom  it  would  most  benefit,  I  have  faith  in  the 
development  of  the  co-operative  principle,  which  would  enable 
dwellers  in  industrial  districts  to  avail  themselves  of  motor-cars 
as  a  means  of  freeing  them  from  the  towns,  perhaps  for  the  whole 
of  their  home  life,  but  in  any  case  for  their  weekly  holiday. 

But  for  those  to  whom  the  purchase  of  an  inexpensive  motor- 
car is  by  careful  management  just  possible,  the  choosing  of  a 
vehicle  becomes  a  matter  of  very  grave  importance.  Perhaps  a 
little  windfall,  some  gift  or  legacy  of  a  few  hundred  pounds,  is 
to  be  devoted  to  the  purpose,  the  cost  of  upkeep  being  charged 
to  an  income  already  sufficiently  burdened.  In  such  a  case  it  is 
absolutely  essential  that  the  cost  of  maintenance  should  be  low, 
and  that  sudden  calls,  such  as  that  entailed  by  the  purchase  of 
expensive  pneumatic  tyres,  should  not  be  made  on  the  family 
exchequer.  In  this  case  I  am  convinced  that  the  ideal  form  of 
vehicle  is  a  simply  constructed  steam  car,  burning  paraffin  oil, 
and  fitted  with  solid  tyres,  at  any  rate  on  the  back  wheels.  It 
is  true  that  in  the  year  1904  no  really  simple  and  efficient  steam 
car  which  is  inexpensive  to  keep  up  is  in  popular  use  ;  but  from 
what  I  have  seen,  and  from  what  I  know  of  the  studies  and 
preparations  of  steam  engineers,  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying 
that  such  cars  will  soon  be,  not  only  on  the  market,  but  in  very 
general  use.  In  the  meantime,  for  those  who  distrust  steam,  or 
who  wish  to  wait  until  the  newest  examples  of  steam  car  con- 


THE   SELECTION   OF  A   MOTOR-CAR  171 

struction  have  been  more  fully  tested,  the  petrol  car  of  7  or 
8  h.p.  will  turn  out  a  good  investment.  Here  again,  where 
strict  economy  is  essential,  I  recommend  solid  tyres  on  the 
driving  wheels ;  but  where  solid  tyres  are  used  the  form  of 
transmission  which  employs  a  bevel  drive  on  a  live  axle  should 
be  avoided,  as  the  vibration  is  sure  to  loosen  and  damage  the 
gear.  Where  solid  tyres  are  used,  a  chain  drive  to  the  rear 
wheels  is  in  every  way  preferable.  For  economical  reasons  a 
single-cylinder  engine,  simple  in  construction  and  of  proved 
endurance,  such  as  the  De  Dion,  should  be  chosen  ;  parts  that 
may  have  to  be  renewed  are  thus  reduced  to  a  minimum,  and 
all  experimenting  at  the  cost  of  the  purchaser  is  avoided.  With 
an  8  h.p.  engine  it  is  quite  possible  to  fit  a  tonneau  capable  of 
accommodating  two  people,  or  perhaps  one  adult  and  two 
children  ;  the  car  will  thus  be  capable  of  carrying  five  people. 
It  will  not  be  very  fast,  fifteen  miles  an  hour  being  probably  its 
average  speed,  and  it  will  not  be  remarkably  silent ;  but  speed 
and  silence  are  luxuries,  whereas  fresh  air  is  a  necessity;  and 
the  users  of  the  car  will  at  any  rate  be  able  to  see  the  country 
through  which  they  are  passing,  and  will  have  the  satisfaction  of 
knowing  that  they  are  not  mortifying  the  other  users  of  the 
road. 

This  is  motoring  at  its  cheapest;  but  between  it  and  the  matter- 
of-course  annual  purchase  and  use  of  the  latest  patterns  of  the 
fashionable  makes  of  motor-cars  exhibited  at  the  shows  there  is 
a  wide  gap.  It  is  filled  at  present  by  people  to  whom  motoring 
is  a  luxury  pure  and  simple,  and  who  add  it  to  their  other 
pleasures,  not  indeed  without  considering  the  question  of  ex- 
pense, but  with  an  easy  conviction  that  if  they  desire  any 
particular  kind  of  motor  very  earnestly,  they  will  probably  find 
the  means  to  possess  it.  With  these  people  first  cost  is  a  second- 
ary consideration,  their  principal  demand  being  for  a  motor-car 
which  will  carry  them  punctually  and  without  breakdown,  and 
the  cost  of  which  will  be  reasonable  and,  above  all,  fairly 
regular.  To  such  people  practically  the  whole  range  of  choice 
in  motor-cars  is  open  ;  and  all  that  the  adviser  can  do  is  to 
inform  them  generally  upon  the  "points"  of  a  car,  and  to 
remind  them  that  the  nature  of  the  country  in  which  they 
principally  travel,  as  well  as  the  kind  of  work  which  they 
demand   of  their   motor  vehicle,  should  have  some  influence 


172  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

upon  their  choice.  The  buyer  of  a  motor-car  should,  to  begin 
with,  try  as  far  as  possible  to  shut  his  eyes  to  mere  externals,  by 
which  I  mean  such  things  as  paint  and  upholstery,  and  natty 
little  contrivances  such  as  hinged  mud-guards,  protected  steps, 
patent  lockers,  and  so  forth.  I  know  it  is  hard  to  ignore  these 
things ;  I  know  that  they  have  a  very  real  virtue  and  attractive- 
ness ;  but  the  time  to  consider  them  is  not  when  one  is  criticising 
the  complicated  piece  of  mechanism  comprised  in  a  motor-car. 
Your  old  hand  at  horse-buying  does  not  consider  the  animal 
offered  to  him  only  when  it  is  covered  with  smart  harness  or 
standing  in  a  palatial  stable ;  he  purges  his  mind  of  admiration, 
and  searches  only  for  defects.  If  he  is  tempted  to  enthusiasm, 
he  conceals  it  like  a  vice;  and  while  the  seller  is  singing  the 
praises  of  faultless  manners,  the  buyer  turns  a  searching  eye 
upon  knees  and  fetlocks.  "  Look  at  that  shoulder,"  cries  the 
one  ;  but  "  What  about  those  hocks?  "  murmurs  the  other. 

Thus  it  should  be  in  the  purchase  of  the  motor-car.  The 
ideal  method  for  the  buyer  would  be  to  study  the  chassis 
stripped  of  its  carriage  work,  and  to  consider  that  separately  on 
its  own  merits.  I  advise,  of  course,  only  the  purchase  of  cars 
built  by  makers  with  a  reputation  to  lose,  and  whose  work  has 
been  tried  by  hundreds  of  private  owners  ;  yet  if  the  buyer 
insists  upon  going  in  for  a  new  and  untried  car,  there  are  certain 
things  upon  which  he  should  coldly  concentrate  his  attention. 
Of  raw  material,  of  the  welding  and  forging  of  steel,  he  cannot 
judge  ;  such  matters  can  only  be  covered  by  a  guarantee.  But 
he  can  see  at  a  glance  if  complication  or  simplicity  is  character- 
istic of  the  car's  construction  ;  if  there  is  unusual  complication 
he  must  study  and  decide  whether  the  advantages  which  are 
sought  to  be  attained  by  it  outweigh  the  obvious  disadvantages  ; 
if  there  is  unusual  simplicity  he  must  assure  himself  that  even 
in  the  attainment  of  so  desirable  a  quality  no  real  necessity  has 
been  sacrificed.  Above  all,  he  must  remember  that  the  machinery 
which  he  sees  motionless  and  shining  in  the  show-room  will  be 
called  to  travel  over  thousands  and  thousands  of  miles  of  high- 
way, shaken  by  its  own  pulses  as  well  as  strained  and  disturbed 
by  the  uneven  stresses  of  the  road  ;  and  he  must  be  on  his 
guard  against  any  arrangement,  however  desirable  and  ingenious, 
which  is  likely  to  be  disturbed  or  rendered  useless  in  the  great 
discipline  of  use  and  wear. 


THE   SELECn^ION   OF  A   MOTOR-CAR  173 

It  is  strange  that  while  the  use  of  motor-cars  for  pleasure  and 
for  heavy  haulage  work  has  developed  so  rapidly  during  the 
last  few  years,  the  ordinary  tradesman  should  still  be  reluctant 
to  avail  himself  of  a  cheap  means  of  transit  by  which  the  extent 
of  his  business  can  be  so  widely  increased.  This  is  especially 
remarkable  because  nearly  all  the  uncertainties  and  expenses 
associated  with  the  motor-car  exist  only  in  connection  with 
those  refinements  by  means  of  which  high  speed  is  attained. 
The  tradesman's  light  delivery-van  need  never  travel  at  more 
than  fifteen  miles  an  hour,  and  the  use  of  pneumatic  tyres  is 
altogether  unnecessary.  All  that  is  wanted  is  a  simple  engine 
of  6  or  8  h.p.  fitted  with  two  forward  speeds  and  a  reverse  and 
mounted  on  a  light  van.  Such  a  vehicle  is  easily  obtainable  at 
an  outside  cost  of  ;^2  50;  and  if  there  were  any  large  demand, 
it  could  probably  be  reduced  to  ^^150.  I  venture  to  say  that  it 
would  be  a  far  less  objectionable  element  in  suburban  traffic 
than  the  violently  driven  butcher's  cart  with  its  trays  of  meat 
exposed  to  the  air — to  mention  only  one  of  the  many  instances 
in  which  tradesmen  employ  carts  and  horses  where  they  might 
with  greater  advantage  employ  motor-cars.  Moreover,  there  is 
hardly  any  domestic  tradesman — whether  milkman,  florist,  baker, 
grocer,  fishmonger,  chemist,  draper,  or  milliner — whose  business 
is  not  greatly  benefited  by  a  system  which  enables  him  to 
deliver  his  goods  rapidly  at  any  time  of  the  day  throughout 
a  wide  radius.  With  the  average  small  establishment  employ- 
ing a  horse  and  van  this  is  impossible  more  than  once  or  at 
most  twice  a  day;  but  the  motor-car,  which  does  not  need  time 
for  meals  and  does  not  get  tired,  is  always  ready  to  "run  with  a 
message,"  and  can  profitably  deliver  small  or  large  parcels  at 
a  great  distance. 

There  is  a  good  deal  of  unintentional  cruelty  to  horses 
practised  amongst  small  tradespeople,  who  are  often  obliged  to 
overwork  their  animals  for  fear  of  losing  customers  through  late 
deliveries  ;  and  this  also  would  disappear  if  light  motor  delivery- 
vans  were  more  often  used.  In  London  especially,  and  in  the 
surrounding  districts  where  people  expect  to  get  a  daily  delivery 
at  their  doors  from  the  stores,  even  when  they  live  eighteen 
or  twenty  miles  away  from  town,  the  use  of  motor  delivery- 
vans  could  not  fail  to  be  useful.  I  do  not  know,  for  example, 
how   many  horses,   vans,   and    men    Messrs.   Carter    Paterson 


174  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

and  Co.  employ  in  their  excellent  service,  but  I  am  sure  that  for 
the  same  money  which  they  now  spend  they  could  establish 
a  perfectly  efficient  motor  service  that  would  extend  the  range 
of  their  business  very  widely.  All  that  is  necessary  is  the 
enterprise  and  business  ability  to  organise  and  establish  the 
change,  and  there  is  a  fortune  waiting  for  the  motor  manu- 
facturer who  will  specialise  in  a  cheap,  strong,  and  simple 
chassis  fitted  either  with  a  single-cylinder  engine  of  6  h.p.  or 
a  double-cylinder  engine  of  12  h.p.,  the  chassis  to  be  mounted  on 
wheels  fitted  with  solid  tyres  and  adapted  for  receiving  various 
kinds  of  van  bodies  suitable  to  the  various  needs  of  his  customers. 
In  the  meantime,  for  those  who  desire  such  vans,  I  would 
recommend  the  use  of  an  engine  such  as  the  6  h.p.  De  Dion,  or 
the  Roots  Oil  Engine,  which,  as  it  uses  common  paraffin,  is 
exceedingly  cheap  to  run. 

The  first  test  of  a  motor-car  is,  of  course,  the  test  of  the 
road.  A  car  should  be  given  a  good  trial  of  not  less  than 
a  hundred  miles  on  what  is  called  a  give-and-take  road,  and  the 
possible  purchaser  should  study  very  carefully  its  behaviour 
during  this  test.  If  any  adjustments  have  to  be  made  he 
should  satisfy  himself  as  to  whether  they  are  rendered  necessary 
by  the  ordinary  shaking-down  process  incidental  to  all  newly 
assembled  machinery,  or  whether  they  are  due  to  inherent 
imperfections  of  design  or  construction.  The  loosening  of  a 
bolt,  however  drastic  its  effect  upon  the  running  of  a  car,  may 
mean  nothing  ;  but  irregularities  of  speed,  difficulties  in  gear 
changing,  heating  of  the  engine,  difficulty  in  starting,  although 
they  may  have  comparatively  little  effect  upon  the  day's  run, 
may  possibly  mean  a  great  deal.  Another  point  that  is  of  the 
first  importance  in  a  petrol  car  is  that  all  parts  liable  to  wear 
and  to  need  readjustment  should  be  easily  accessible  without 
the  unscrewing  of  numberless  bolts  and  the  unbuilding  of  half 
the  car.  Such  things  as  inlet  and  exhaust  valves,  commutators, 
water-pumps,  clutch  springs,  and  gear-cases  should  all  be  easily 
exposed  and  got  at  for  purposes  of  examination  and  repair. 
Lubrication  should  be  positive  and  efficient,  and  the  oil  should 
be  conveyed  through  pipes  of  decently  large  diameter.  Steering 
gear  should  be  strong  and  simple,  with  some  provision  for 
the  taking  up  of  wear.  The  breaking  of  steering  gear  while 
a  car  is  travelling  may  not  improbably  have  fatal  results,  while 


THE   SELECTION   OF  A   MOTOR-CAR  175 

nothing  is  more  unpleasant  than  very  loose  steering  connections 
which  allow  of  much  back-lash  in  the  wheel.  All  nuts  should 
be  of  what  is  known  as  the  "  castellated  "  type,  and  secured  by 
split  pins.  The  engine  and  its  gearing  should  be  protected 
underneath  by  a  screen  from  dust  and  mud  ;  in  fact,  the  more 
the  moving  parts  of  a  car  are  dust-proof  and  oil-retaining  the 
better  it  will  run.  Oil  and  grease  cups  of  a  liberal  size  should 
feed  all  bearings  which  are  not  automatically  lubricated,  and  the 
wiring  of  the  ignition  system  should  be  as  simple  and  as  well 
insulated  as  possible. 

Silence  is  an  important  matter  in  a  motor-car,  as  noise  gener- 
ally means  wear  and  lost  power.  But  there  are  two  distinct 
sources  of  noise  in  a  petrol  motor-car ;  one  is  in  the  explosions 
of  the  engine,  and  the  other  in  the  working  of  the  gears  and 
chains.  With  regard  to  the  latter  a  slight  noise  is  inevitable, 
but  it  should  be  the  good  sweet  hum  of  perfect  machinery,  in 
which  a  constant  musical  note  can  be  heard,  and  not  the  rattle 
and  buzz  which,  to  experienced  ears,  is  the  tell-tale  of  loose 
workmanship.  With  regard  to  the  explosions  of  the  engine, 
however,  great  care  should  be  taken  in  estimating  the  respective 
values  of  noise  and  comparative  silence.  In  this  case,  unlike 
the  other,  absence  of  noise  very  probably  means  loss  of  power, 
and  it  is  necessary  to  assure  oneself  that  the  silencing  of  the 
engine  has  not  been  achieved  at  the  cost  of  half  its  power,  as  is 
the  case  with  some  cars  upon  the  silence  of  which  the  makers 
greatly  value  themselves.  Provided  there  is  a  sufficient  margin 
of  power  available  to  run  the  car  at  a  proper  speed  and  also  to 
climb  hills  with  plenty  of  life,  silence  is  altogether  a  benefit  ; 
but  the  buyer  must  be  quite  sure  that  he  is  not  paying  for  horse- 
power and  petrol  consumption,  half  of  which  are  absorbed  by 
the  silencing  devices,  and  which  cause  his  car,  lively  enough, 
perhaps,  on  the  level  or  on  a  slight  downward  slope,  to  become 
sluggish  and  lifeless  when  climbing  even  a  slight  hill.  He 
should  be  particularly  on  his  guard  in  cases  where  the  silence  is 
attained  by  the  gradual  opening  and  closing  of  the  valves  by 
means  of  cams  shaped  like  an  eccentric.  To  develop  the  full 
power  of  an  engine  it  is  necessary  that  the  valves  should,  at  a 
certain  portion  of  the  stroke,  be  opened  suddenly  and  fully,  and 
at  another  point  closed  equally  suddenly  and  completely.  With 
eccentric  cams  the  opening  and  closing  process  is  gradual,  and 


176  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

is  going  on  almost  continuously  throughout  the  revolution  of 
the  cam  shaft,  with  the  result  that  the  engine  is  not  getting  its 
full  impulse  or  relief  at  the  exact  moments  at  which  these  are 
required  for  the  development  of  the  full  power. 

Motorists  who  live  in  a  very  hilly  or  mountainous  district 
will  find  good  steam  cars  far  faster  and  more  satisfactory  than 
petrol  cars  of  corresponding  horse-power.  Those  who  wish  to 
use  their  cars  much  in  town  as  well  as  in  the  country  should 
avoid  cars  either  of  very  high  horse-power  or  long  wheel  base. 
An  exceptionally  long  wheel  base,  excellent  though  it  is  for 
long-distance  touring  cars,  is  a  nuisance  where  much  turning  is 
necessary,  or  where  sharp  corners  and  dense  traffic  are  en- 
countered ;  and  there  are  few  more  irritating  experiences  than 
to  drive  a  60  h.p.  car,  say,  from  Regent  Street  to  Queen's  Gate, 
where  the  pace  is  necessarily  very  slow,  and  the  mighty  engine 
is  fretting  and  heating  itself  with  impatience,  and  the  clutch  is 
continually  being  thrown  in  and  out. 

Plenty  of  luggage  accommodation  is  more  than  a  convenience 
in  touring  cars ;  it  is  a  necessity.  With  such  a  car  as  the 
18  h.p.  Lanchester  one  could  go  on  a  tour  for  months  and  carry 
with  one  practically  all  necessaries  and  not  a  few  luxuries.  For 
touring  work  it  is  most  advisable  to  have  a  car  with  a  roof  and 
a  certain  amount  of  protection  from  rain  and  dust ;  the  passen- 
gers in  the  tonneau  of  a  totally  unprotected  car  look  neither 
very  pretty  nor  very  happy  after  a  long  journey  on  a  dusty 
summer's  day.  Some  cars  are  worse  in  this  respect  than 
others  ;  and  if  a  quite  open  car  is  used  it  should  be  fitted  with  a 
body  the  back  of  which  is  high  enough  to  reach  the  necks  of  the 
occupants ;  otherwise  they  will  arrive  at  their  destination 
covered  with  dust  and  in  a  filthy  condition.  When  a  cover  is 
used  it  should  have  a  removable  glass  screen  in  front  and,  for 
preference,  only  the  back  half  of  the  tonneau  should  be  screened 
with  glass.  This  arrangement,  while  it  protects  absolutely  from 
dust  and  wind,  allows  a  constant  stream  of  fresh  air  to  fill  the 
carriage ;  in  case  of  rain,  light  side  curtains  of  waterproof 
material  afford  all  the  additional  protection  required.  Such  a 
carriage  should  have  a  roof  strong  enough  to  carry  a  luggage 
basket  and  a  reasonable  amount  of  luggage. 

There  is,  however,  another  way  of  getting  rid  of  the  dust 
nuisance — at  any  rate,  so  far  as  it  affects  the  occupants  of  the 


THE   SELECTION   OF   A   MOTOR-CAR  177 

car — than  by  a  heavy  covered-in  body  to  the  carriage.  I 
believe  the  use  of  this  device  as  a  dust-preventer  was  dis- 
covered by  Sir  Horace  Plunkett ;  at  any  rate,  I  had  never  heard 
of  it  before  I  saw  it  in  use  on  his  car  ;  and  I  think  he  discovered 
it  quite  accidentally.  It  consists  of  nothing  more  than  the 
ordinary  framed  glass  screen,  standing  about  twenty-five  inches 
above  the  dashboard.  The  effect  of  this  is  to  keep  the  occu- 
pants of  the  tonneau  absolutely  free  from  the  distressing  clouds 
of  dust  that  would  otherwise  come  in  from  behind.  This  inrush 
of  dust  is,  of  course,  caused  by  the  inrush  of  air  to  take  the 
place  of  that  displaced  by  the  car  in  its  passage ;  and  it  renders 
a  seat  in  an  ordinary  tonneau  an  exceedingly  filthy  and  dis- 
agreeable situation  on  a  dusty  day.  I  imagine  that  the  height 
of  the  screen  is  important,  as  I  have  not  noticed  any  particular 
freedom  from  dust  on  cars  having  a  high  glass  screen  in  front 
up  to  a  canopy.  The  following  are  the  dimensions  of  the 
arrangement  as  it  is  fitted  to  Sir  Horace  Plunkett's  lo  h.p. 
Panhard  :  — 


Height  from  footboard  to  top  of  screen     ,         .     41^  inches. 

Breadth  of  screen    .... 

Height  of  seat  above  footboard 

Distance  from  front  of  seat  to  screen 

Distance  from  back  of  seat  to  screen 

Distance  from  back  of  front  seat  to  back  of 

tonneau   .......     34 


39f 

19 

33 

49 


These  dimensions  have,  no  doubt,  an  important  bearing  on 
the  prevention  of  dust.  I  take  it  that  what  happens  is  that  as 
the  car  is  travelling  a  current  of  air  is  displaced  by  the  screen 
and,  forced  above  it,  meets  in  its  descent  the  cloud  of  dust  which 
comes  up  behind  and  blows  it  back  off  the  tonneau.  Of  course 
I  am  aware  that  the  car  travels  and  not  the  air  ;  but  assuming, 
for  the  sake  of  argument,  that  the  car  is  standing  still,  and 
that  a  wind  is  blowing  against  it  from  the  front  at  the  rate  of 
eighteen  or  twenty  miles  an  hour,  the  direction  of  the  wind 
on  striking  the  screen  is  upwards.  On  arriving  at  the  top  of 
the  screen  and  meeting  with  the  free  horizontal  stream  of  wind, 
the  direction  of  the  upward-flowing  current  of  wind  is  deflected 
slightly  downwards  again  ;  it  then  slants  towards  the  back  of  the 
tonneau,  where  it  meets  the  cloud  of  dust  which  tends  to  flow 


178  THE   COMPLETE    MOTORIST 

into  the  car  behind.  Whatever  the  correct  technical  explana- 
tion of  the  phenomenon  may  be,  however,  it  is  perfectly  suc- 
cessful in  practice.  I  remember  once  when  I  was  staying  with 
Sir  Horace  Plunkett  making  one  of  a  small  motoring  party 
one  dusty  summer  afternoon.  There  were  two  cars  of  very 
similar  build  and  dimensions,  and  I  had  the  misfortune  to 
occupy  a  seat,  not  in  Sir  Horace's  car,  but  in  the  tonneau  of 
the  other  car  which  had  not  any  glass  screen  fitting.  The 
result  was  that  when  we  had  gone  thirty  miles  I  and  my  com- 
panion in  misery  were  covered  with  white  dust ;  our  hair  was 
full  of  it  and  our  faces  were  coated  with  it.  Yet  the  occupants 
of  the  tonneau  of  Sir  Horace's  car  were  perfectly  clean  and 
free  from  dust,  and  the  back  of  the  car— while  ours  was  as  white 
as  though  a  bag  of  flour  had  been  shaken  over  it — was  speckless 
and  shining  in  all  the  glory  of  Panhard  red. 

I  have  only  one  other  thing  to  say  with  regard  to  the  ordinary 
tonneau,  as  it  is  fitted  on  all  but  the  largest  cars,  and  that  is 
that  it  is  an  abomination.  In  all  but  very  large  cars  the 
door  takes  up  the  best  position,  and  the  two  seats  on  either 
side  are  cramped  and  uncomfortable,  giving  a  seated  position 
that  is  neither  forward  nor  sideways.  The  back  seat  of  a 
motor-car  should  be  broad,  and  cross  the  whole  width  of  the 
car,  and  it  should  have  a  high  back.  The  only  rational  way 
to  secure  these  advantages  is  to  have  a  car  fitted  with  side 
doors  and  some  form  of  phaeton  body.  In  this  way  the  full 
space  is  available  for  seating  accommodation,  and  the  car  can 
be  entered  from  the  doorstep  or  from  the  kerbstone,  and  it  is 
not  necessary  to  step  into  a  muddy  road  and  climb  in  like  a 
monkey  at  the  back  of  the  tonneau. 


THE   SELECTION   OF   A   MOTOR-CAR 


179 


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NAME   OF   FIRM   AND  ADDRESS. 

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Locomobile  Co.,  Sussex  Place,  South  Kensington. 
New  Orleans  Motor  Co.,  Twickenham. 
Eagle  Engineering  &  Motor  Co.,  Altrincham. 
Eagle  Engineering  &  Motor  Co.,  Altrincham. 
Eagle  Engineering  &  Motor  Co.,  Altrincham. 
Locomobile  Co.,  Sussex  Place,  South  Kensington. 
Jarrott  &  Letts,  45,  Gt.  Marlborough  Street,  W. 
Humber,  Ltd.,  Beeston,  Notts. 
Elswick  Motors,  Ltd.,  Newcastle-on-Tyne. 
0.  C.  Selbach,  06,  Great  Russell  Street,  W.C. 
Farman  Automobile  Co.,  100-104,  Long  Acre,  W.C. 
Eagle  Engineering  &  Motor  Co.,  Altrincham. 
Mohawk  Co.,  Chalk  Farm  Road,  London. 
De  Dion-Bouton,  10,  Gt.  Marlborough  Street,  W. 
Brush  Electrical  Eng.  Co.,  Belvedere  Road,  S.E. 
Vauxhall  Ironworks  Co.,  Wandsworth  Road,  S.W. 
Speedwell  Motor  Co.,  151,  Knightsbridge,  S.W. 
Speedwell  Motor  Co.,  151,  Knightsbridge,  S.W. 
Belsize  Motor  Co.,  Clayton  Lane,  Manchester. 
Vulcan  Motor  Co.,  Howe's  Side  Street,  Southport. 
Star  Engineering  Co.,  Wolverhampton. 
Brown  Bros.,  Great  Eastern  Street,  E.C. 
Firefly  Motor  Co,,  72,  High  Street,  Croydon. 
Firefly  Motor  Co.,  72,  High  Street,  Croydon. 
Siddeley  Autocar  Co.,  7ii-S0,  York  Street,  S.W. 
The  Wolseley  Co.,  Adderley  Park,  Birmingham. 
Anglo-American  Co.,  19 and  21,  Heddon  Street.W. 
J,  R.  Richardson  &  Co.,  Saxilby,  near  Lincoln. 
S.  R.  Bailey  &  Lambert,  217,  Piccadilly,  W. 

Price  in 

2 

199  10/- 
80 

125 

150 

100 

190 

150 

147 
141  15/- 
141  15/- 

165 

160 
15710/- 

200 

150 

150 
131    5/- 
162  15/- 

175 

105 

175 

175 
160-165 

150 

175 

175 
183  15/- 

190 
157  10/- 

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8  cwts. 

7  cwts. 

6  cwts. 

8  cwts. 

7  cwts. 
0  cwts. 
6i  cwts. 

5  cwts. 

8  cwts. 

6  cwts. 

6  cwts. 

9  cwts. 

10  cwts. 
6i  cwts. 
5  cwts. 

7  cwts.  (about) 

9  cwts. 

11  cwts. 

7  cwts. 
9  cwts. 

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THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 


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THE   SELECTION   OF   A   MOTOR-CAR  181 


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THE   SELECTION   OF   A   MOTOR-CAR  187 


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CHAPTER   Vlll 
LIGHT   CARS 

The  Run-about  and  its  uses — Also  its  abuses — A  hundred  miles  a  day — Imitation  of 
large  cars — A  case  for  caution — Difference  in  principles  of  construction — The 
De  Dion  car — The  Oldsmobile — An  American  invasion — The  Belsize  car — A 
celebrated  Baby — The  Roots  paraffin  car — The  Wolseley  light  car — The  Humber 
light  car. 

IN  what  I  said  in  a  previous  chapter  about  motor-cars  costing 
less  than  ii"200  I  made  a  distinction  between  cars  for  tour- 
ing purposes  and  cars  suitable  for  short  point-to-point  trips  on 
which  it  is  not  necessary  to  carry  luggage  or  supplies.  But 
although  I  believe  it  to  be  impossible  at  present  to  buy  a  satis- 
factory long-distance  touring  car  for  ^200,  there  is,  nevertheless, 
much  real  pleasure  and  advantage  to  be  derived  from  cars 
of  the  Run-about  type ;  and  there  are  many  of  these  with 
engines  of  5  or  6  h.p.  which  cost  much  less  than  ;^200  and  will 
do  very  satisfactory  work  under  the  proper  conditions.  These 
conditions  are  that  they  should  not  be  overloaded  nor  over- 
driven, and  that  they  should  be  treated  tenderly  with  regard 
to  the  road  surfaces  on  which  they  are  travelling.  It  is  just 
these  conditions,  however,  which  are  ignored  by  so  many  owners 
of  light  cars  or  voiturettes,  and  it  is  owing  to  the  neglect  of 
them  that  so  many  of  these  motorists  come  to  grief  Moreover, 
it  cannot  be  too  clearly  understood  that  the  sport  or  hobby  of 
driving  these  small  machines  is  entirely  distinct  from  that  of 
motoring  proper.  Neither  the  possibilities  nor  the  cost  of  the 
two  things  can  be  compared. 

What  too  often  happens  is  that  a  beginner  purchases  a  light 
two-seated  motor-car  of  4  to  6  h.p.  for  ^200  or  less,  the  unwise 
manufacturer  of  which  assures  him  that  it  is  able  to  "  go  any- 
where and  do  anything."     Pleased  with  his  new  possession,  and 


LIGHT   CARS  189 

not  over-skilful  in  the  use  of  it,  the  motorist  begins  by  setting 
out  on  a  long  journey,  at  the  end  of  which  (if  he  should  attain 
it  without  mishap)  he  is  disappointed  to  find  that  certain 
repairs,  renewals,  and  readjustments  are  required.  The  need 
for  these  may  be  entirely  due  to  his  lack  of  experience  ;  but 
that  is  seldom  admitted  by  the  novice,  and  the  car  itself  is 
blamed.  And  even  when  he  has  learned  to  know  his  little 
machine  thoroughly,  he  too  often  contrives  to  misuse  it.  Pro- 
bably he  has  a  back  seat  fitted,  and  makes  a  practice  of 
carrying  four  people  on  a  machine  which  was  designed  and 
constructed  to  carry  two,  and  the  engine  and  gearing  of  which 
are  strained  in  consequence.  He  works  the  car  hard,  trying 
to  cover  distances  and  take  journeys  for  which  a  touring  car 
is  really  needed  ;  he  ploughs  his  wheels  through  ruts  and  over 
stones,  and  is  not  over-careful  about  lubrication  or  cleaning, 
with  the  result  that  the  poor  little  car  has  a  short  life,  and  its 
owner  becomes  disgusted  with  motoring.  "You  can't  go  for 
a  day's  run,"  he  says,  "  without  something  being  needed  either 
on  the  road  or  when  you  get  back  ;  always  new  tyres  or  gear 
wheels,  or  bearings  worn,  or  valves  to  be  ground,  or  something." 
He  owned  a  motor-car,  you  see,  and  he  expected  it  to  do  every- 
thing that  motor-cars  are  generally  supposed  to  be  able  to  do, 
quite  ignoring  the  fact  that  it  was  a  motor-car  built  for  a  special 
limited  purpose,  which  he  had  much  exceeded. 

In  my  opinion  the  real  use  for  one  of  these  light  cars,  so  far 
as  distance  is  concerned,  is  much  the  same  as  that  to  which  an 
expert  and  trained  cyclist  would  put  his  bicycle,  except  that  the 
motor-car  makes  no  demands  upon  physical  endurance.  These 
charming  little  machines  are  most  happily  and  profitably  used 
by  those  who  treat  them  in  this  way,  who  do  not  go  out  in 
all  weathers  or  on  all  kinds  of  roads,  but  who  choose  the  day 
for  its  weather  and  the  journey  for  its  road.  A  run  of  a  hundred 
or  a  hundred  and  twenty  miles  there  and  back  on  a  summer's 
day  is  the  most  which  should  be  asked  of  such  cars ;  the 
traveller  is  then  not  too  long  upon  the  road  to  make  him 
tired  of  it;  he  has  time  to  attend  to  the  lubrication  and  re- 
plenishment of  his  machine ;  he  is  not  worried  by  the  necessity 
of  having  to  press  on  at  top  speed  in  order  to  get  home  before 
night ;  and  he  is  not  straining  his  engine  by  driving  it  to  the 
limit  of  its  capacity.     For  such  a  purpose  the  small  motor-cars, 


190  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

some  of  which  I  am  going  to  describe,  are  admirably  suited  ; 
and  properly  used,  they  are  capable  of  affording  infinite  pleasure 
to  their  owners. 

The  number  of  light  cars  designed  more  or  less  on  the  lines 
of  high-powered  vehicles  is  legion,  but  many  of  them  are  far 
from  satisfactory  examples  of  motor-car  construction.  The 
large  and  steadily  increasing  demand  for  light  and  inexpensive 
motor-cars  has  brought  dozens  of  manufacturers  into  the  market 
with  hastily  designed  vehicles  turned  out  of  imperfectly  equipped 
works,  in  many  cases  built  up  of  obsolete  component  parts 
which  have  been  discarded  by  foreign  makers.  Such  cars — often 
sold  at  a  temptingly  low  price — lay  up  a  melancholy  store  of 
misery,  expense,  and  disappointment  for  their  owners.  That 
they  should  be  thus  placed  on  the  market  and  readily  bought  is 
a  misfortune  inseparable  from  the  early  and  enthusiastic  period 
of  the  industry.  A  similar  state  of  affairs,  it  will  be  remem- 
bered, was  produced  by  the  cycle  "  boom "  in  the  last  decade 
of  the  nineteenth  century.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  motor-car 
industry  will  soon  recover  from  this  undesirable  ailment;  but  it 
will  not  be  until  many  a  carefully  saved  little  sum  has  been 
expended  in  hopeful  expectation  and  regretted  with  bitter  dis- 
appointment. Everything  that  I  have  said  with  regard  to  the 
caution  that  should  be  used  in  the  purchase  of  touring  cars 
applies  with  still  greater  urgency  to  the  purchase  of  light  cars. 
There  is  more  temptation  to  scamp  the  work  in  a  little  car, 
to  construct  it  of  flimsy  material  and  with  a  complete  dis- 
proportion of  its  several  parts,  than  in  a  large  car  ;  and  it  is 
easier  to  construct  a  light  car  that  will  travel  in  some  sort 
of  way  than  a  heavy  one.  To  all  English  buyers  and  users  of 
light  cars  I  would  strongly  recommend  the  constant  study 
of  that  admirable  little  paper,  The  Motor,  which  makes  a  special 
study  of  light  cars  and  motor-cycles,  and  is  always  ready  to  give 
its  readers  honest  help  and  advice. 

If  you  put  the  unscrupulous  assemblers  of  these  light 
machines  entirely  out  of  the  question,  however,  there  remains 
a  very  great  number  of  types  of  the  light  motor-car  into  the 
manufacture  of  which  genuine  care  and  honest  workmanship 
are  put.  Even  here,  however,  there  exists  an  extraordinary 
difference  of  opinion  and  variety  of  practice  as  regards  essentials. 
The   mere  size  and  speed  of  different   engines  giving   out  a 


LIGHT   CARS  191 

similar  horse-power  varies  astonishingly.  A  comparison  between 
the  Oldsmobile  engine  and  the  De  Dion  affords  a  good  example 
of  this.  Both  are  6  h.p.  engines,  and  both  have  a  single 
cylinder ;  but  the  Oldsmobile  has  a  bore  of  4^  inches,  a  stroke 
of  6  inches,  and  gives  off  its  maximum  power  of  760  revolu- 
tions per  minute  ;  while  the  De  Dion  6  h.p.  engine  has  a  bore 
of  3^1  inches  and  a  stroke  of  4^^  inches,  and  develops  its 
maximum  power  at  1,700  revolutions.  One  maker  claims  for 
the  slow-speed  engine  an  increased  silence  and  absence  of  vibra- 
tion, while  the  other  claims  for  a  high-speed  engine  an  enhanced 
lightness  of  construction  and  a  reduction  of  thrust  on  the 
bearings  and  strain  on  the  transmission.  There  is  as  yet  no 
unanimity  with  regard  to  this  and  a  great  many  other  questions, 
and  the  buyer  is  left  to  decide  for  himself  whether  in  the  case 
of  any  given  type  of  engine  the  virtues  of  its  defects  or  the 
defects  of  its  virtues  are  the  greater.  No  light  car  has  been  so 
long  nor  so  well  tried  as  the  De  Dion-Bouton  voiturette ;  no 
light  car  has  during  the  last  year  or  so  achieved  anything  like 
the  popularity  of  the  Oldsmobile ;  yet  the  principles  upon 
which  the  two  cars  are  constructed  are  diametrically  opposed. 
It  is  this  uncertainty  of  principle  and  lack  of  unanimity  as 
to  practice  in  petrol-motor  engineering  that  is  making  many 
students  of  such  matters  turn  their  attention  once  more  to 
steam,  where  principles  are  more  or  less  fixed,  and  causes 
and  results  have  a  more  or  less  definite  and  ascertainable 
relationship. 

I  will  now  describe  some  typical  light  cars  ;  but  if  I  were 
to  fill  three  times  the  space  which  is  at  my  disposal,  I  should 
not  exhaust  the  varieties  of  light  cars  which  are  being  offered 
for  sale  even  by  English  manufacturers  alone,  I  have  en- 
deavoured in  making  this  selection  to  describe  only  those 
machines  as  to  the  capabilities  and  working  of  which  I  have 
definite  information  ;  but  I  do  not  pretend  that  they  at  all 
represent  the  whole  of  what  is  sound  and  satisfactory  in  the 
manufacture  of  lieht  motor-cars. 


THE    DE   DION-BOUTON    LIGHT   CAR 

No  light  motor-car  has  earned  so  high  a  reputation  or  proved 
itself  during  so  long  a  period  or  through  such  severe  trials  as 


192  THE   COMPLETE    MOTORIST 

the  De  Dion-Bouton  car.  Since  the  earliest  revivals  of  the 
motor  industry  in  France  the  De  Dion  Company  have  been  in 
tlie  field  and,  in  many  respects,  have  led  it.  Their  6  and  8  h.p. 
motor-cars  are  probably,  as  regards  the  proportion  of  power 
attained  with  a  given  weight  and  bulk  of  material,  the  most 
efficient  vehicles  in  the  world.  Their  system  has  been  to 
make  as  small  a  motor  as  possible,  and  to  run  it  at  as  high  a 
speed  as  possible,  and  so  obtain  the  maximum  of  power  with 
the  minimum  of  weight.  Thus  their  6  h.p.  motor,  which  has  a 
bore  of  90  mm.,  and  weighs,  including  the  fly-wheels,  only 
132  lbs.,  gives  its  normal  power  at  1,600-1,700  revolutions.  By 
the  use  of  such  a  motor  in  the  construction  of  a  road  vehicle  the 
makers  have  been  able  to  reduce  the  strength  and  weight  of 
frames,  springs,  wheels,  tyres,  etc.,  to  a  point  far  below  what  is 
possible  when  heavier  engines  are  used,  and  this  without  any 
risk  of  reducing  the  margin  of  safety  which  must  always  be 
allowed  over  and  above  what  is  mechanically  necessary.  Another 
important  quality  of  the  De  Dion  motors  is  their  simplicity  of 
construction  ;  and  this,  in  conjunction  with  their  small  size  and 
weight,  makes  them  not  only  very  durable  and  trustworthy,  but 
also  economical  in  use.  Although  the  De  Dion  motors  are 
made  in  several  sizes — 6,  8,  10,  and  12  h.p. — I  choose  the  6  h.p. 
car  to  represent  them  here,  partly  because,  although  the  principles 
of  construction  employed  in  all  sizes  are  virtually  the  same,  the 
6  h.p.  is  the  simplest  of  the  De  Dion  cars  ;  and  partly  also 
because  it  is  probably  the  most  used  and  best  tried  of  all  their 
motor-cars. 

The  single-cylinder  engine  is  placed  vertically  in  front  of  the 
weldless  steel  tube  frame  under  a  bonnet,  the  tubular  radiator 
being  carried,  not  in  front  of  the  bonnet,  but  underneath  it. 
The  inlet  valve  is  automatic  and  is  placed  over  the  exhaust 
valve,  which  is  worked  in  the  usual  way  by  a  cam  on  the  half- 
time  shaft.  The  water-jacket  is  furnished  both  with  an  outlet 
pipe  fixed  on  the  top  of  the  cylinder  and  with  a  screw  plug  at 
the  lowest  point  of  the  jacket,  so  that  all  water  can  be  drained 
away.  Twin  fly-wheels  are  used,  and  are  enclosed  in  the  crank 
case,  as  are  also  the  gearing  of  the  half-time  shaft  and  the  shaft 
itself;  the  whole  mechanism  is,  indeed,  completely  enclosed,  the 
only  exposed  part  being  the  exhaust-valve  stem,  and  spring. 
A   trembling  contact  breaker,  also    enclosed,   is    fitted   on    the 


LIGHT   CARS 


193 


exhaust-valve  side  of  the  engine  and  is  connected  with  a  lever 
for  the  purpose  of  controlling  the  moment  of  sparking.  The 
governing  and  control  of  the  De  Dion  engine  are,  in  addition, 
effected  through  the  exhaust  valve,  a  movement  being  fitted  by 
which  its  lift  can  be  very  finely  regulated.  By  this  system  the 
volume  of  the  exhaust  can  be  reduced  at  will,  with  the  result 
that  the  incoming  charges  of  fresh  gas  are  reduced  in  propor- 


A — Fine  Gauze  Sieve. 

b — Cap  holding  r. 

B — Regulating  Valve. 

C— Float. 

D — Spray. 

E — Tube  enclosing  F. 

F — Weighted  Needle  Valve. 

G — Balance  Lever. 

H — Float  Chamber. 
I  I — Level  of  petrol. 

K — Cap  of  Valve  Chamber. 

L — Lever  working  Regulating  Valve. 

b — Waste  Cap. 

r — Spring  carrying  Gauze  Sieve  A. 
t— Air  Inlet. 

tl— Mixture  Outlet. 
1,  2- — Direction  of  air. 
3,  i — Direction  of  petrol. 


DE   DION-BOUTON    PATENT  SPRAY  CARBURETTOR 


tion,  but  without  affecting  the  compression.  This  arrangement 
is  extremely  satisfactory  with  a  small  high-speed  motor  of  this 
type,  as  it  enables  the  driver  to  adjust  the  power  of  the  engine 
exactly  to  its  work,  at  the  same  time  reducing  the  consumption 
of  petrol  and  the  noise  and  vibration  to  a  minimum. 

The  carburettor  is  of  the  spray  type,  and  is  a  patent  of  the 

De  Dion  Company,     The  petrol  passes  through  a  vertical  tube 

in  the  lower  part  of  the  carburettor  to  the  float  chamber  and 

spray ;  and  an  easily  removable  cap  is  fitted  to  collect  any  dirt 

o 


194  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

or  water  that  may  be  present  in  the  petrol,  A  perfect  level  is 
maintained,  whatever  the  inclination  of  the  car  may  be  on  the 
road,  because  the  spray  is  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  float 
chamber  and  not  outside  it,  the  float  being  made  in  the  form  of 
a  hollow  ring.  The  suction  of  the  motor  draws  in  air  through  a 
separate  passage,  this  current  of  air  being  made  to  pass  over  the 
spray,  out  of  which  it  sucks  petrol,  and  draws  it  with  it  into  the 
cylinder.  This  opening  is  divided  by  a  shutter,  which  allows 
some  or  all  of  the  air  to  be  deflected  so  as  to  pass  over  the 
spray,  the  other  portion  passing  direct  to  the  motor.  This 
shutter  is  regulated  by  a  lever  worked  from  the  driver's  seat,  so 
that  he  can  maintain  a  constant  mixture  at  all  speeds  of  the 
motor.  This  movement  also  increases  or  reduces  the  suction  on 
the  spray,  by  increasing  or  reducing  the  air-opening  into  the 
carburettor.  This  arrangement  has  been  found  in  practice  and 
in  careful  hands  to  secure  a  mixture  perfectly  adjusted  to  the 
speed  at  which  the  motor  is  running. 

The  transmission  is  through  a  universally  jointed  shaft,  which 
communicates  with  the  speed  gear,  to  the  de  Dion  patent  ex- 
panding clutches.  This,  which  is  contained  in  an  aluminium  gear- 
box, gives  two  forward  speeds  and  a  reverse.  The  two  forward 
speeds  are  obtained  from  a  secondary  shaft  containing  toothed 
wheels  which  are  always  in  mesh  with  corresponding  wheels  on 
the  driving  shaft,  but  which  either  revolve  freely  about  the 
secondary  shaft  or  are  locked  to  and  revolve  with  it  according 
to  whether  the  clutches  within  the  toothed  wheels  on  the 
secondary  shaft  are  expanded  or  contracted.  This  expansion 
and  contraction  are  attained  by  the  longitudinal  movement  of  a 
rack  which  engages  with  pinions  that  expand  or  contract  the 
segmental  clutches.  The  reverse  movement  is  obtained  by  the 
interposition  of  a  pinion  between  two  of  the  gear  wheels  on  the 
different  shafts.  The  reverse  pinion  is  always  engaged,  but  the 
positions  of  two  of  the  clutch  boxes  are  moved  to  bring  the 
reverse  drum  over  the  clutch,  which  otherwise  actuates  the  high- 
speed gear.  The  chief  feature  of  the  De  Dion  gear  is  that  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  injure  it,  or  to  cause  a  jar  or  jolt  in  the  car 
even  by  the  most  careless  and  ignorant  driver.  The  whole  of 
the  gear  contained  in  the  geaf-box  is  served  by  dash  lubrication, 
and  channels  are  provided  to  catch  the  oil  and  lead  it  to  the 
ball  bearings  of  the  two  shafts.     The  rear  end  of  the  secondary 


DE    DION   6    H.P.    MOTOR,    SECTIONAL    VIEW 


A— Oil  Outlet. 

B— Gas  Inlet. 

C— Exhaust  Outlet. 

D — Compression  Tap. 

E — Sparking  Plug-hole. 

F — Spring  of  E.vhaust  Valve. 

I— Water  Outlet. 


J — Water-jacket  Plug. 
K  K — Fly-wheels. 
L — Piston. 

M — Connecting  Rod. 
N — A.xle  connecting  Fly- 
O  O— Motor  Axles. 


196  THE   COMPLETE  MOTORIST 

shaft  carries  a  bevel  wheel  which  drives  the  differential  gear  on 
the  rear  axle. 

The  steering  is  of  the  irreversible  worm  and  segment  type 
with  an  inclined  wheel  pillar,  separate  pillars  being  provided 
for  carrying  the  levers  that  operate  the  change -speed  gear, 
ignition,  air  supply  to  carburettor,  and  exhaust- valve  lifter. 
Band  brakes  are  applied  by  a  lever  to  the  hubs  of  the  driving 
wheels,  and  a  metal  shoe  brake  is  applied  by  a  pedal  to  a  metal 
drum  on  the  counter-shaft.  The  particular  form  of  high-tension 
ignition  used  on  the  De  Dion  cars  makes  the  use  of  high- 
powered  accumulators  unnecessary,  a  dry  battery  of  small 
dimensions  supplying  all  the  current  that  is  required.  The 
price  of  the  complete  car  illustrated,  with  victoria  top,  wind 
shield,  side  doors,  and  special  box  at  the  back,  is  ;^288  13^".; 
but  the  same  car  with  a  simpler  type  of  body  can  be  had  at 
prices  ranging  from  i^200  to  £260. 

THE   OLDSMOBILE 

One  of  the  most  popular  of  the  light  cars  is  the  Oldsmobile, 
a  machine  in  which  are  combined  all  the  cleverness  and  in- 
genuity of  American  construction  with  the  fewest  possible  dis- 
advantages of  lightness  and  American  ingenuity.  In  some  of 
the  earlier  models  of  this  machine  there  were  some  troublesome 
little  defects  both  of  design  and  workmanship,  but  so  far  as  I  can 
see  these  have  been  eliminated  in  the  late  models,  which  have 
been  much  improved  throughout ;  and  the  enormous  numbers 
in  which  it  has  been  sold  in  this  country  as  well  as  in  America 
afford  a  sufficient  proof  of  its  popularity  as  a  fine-weather  car 
for  use  either  in  town  or  country.  The  first  thing  that  is  notice- 
able in  its  general  design  is  that  it  has  no  frame  in  the  ordinary 
sense  of  the  word.  The  fore  and  rear  axles  are  connected  only 
by  the  two  long  truss-shaped  springs  that  carry  the  engine  and 
body.  The  wheels  are  neat  and  well  built  of  seasoned  wood, 
fitted  with  single-tube  or  detachable  pneumatic  tyres  of  quite 
sufficient  diameter  for  the  purposes  of  the  car.  This  system 
of  frame  construction  looks  absurdly  flimsy  on  paper,  but  as 
a  matter  of  fact  it  is  not  only  very  strong,  but  it  is  horizontally 
extremely  rigid,  and  is  only  flexible  and  elastic  in  those 
directions  where  flexibility  is  required  to  take  up  the  vibration 


OLDS-MOBILE  CAR 


OLUSMOHILE    TUNNKAL',   'J-H.P. 


LIGHT   CARS  197 

of  road  inequalities.  As  will  be  seen  from  the  illustration, 
the  engine  is  placed  horizontally  in  the  centre  of  the  frame, 
or  slightly  to  the  rear  of  it,  the  chief  weight  being  thus  borne 
by  the  driving  wheels.  The  principal  features  of  the  engine 
are  the  extreme  relative  weight  and  size  of  the  fly-wheel,  which 
has  much  to  do  with  the  wonderfully  smooth  running  of  this 
motor,  a  remarkable  silence  also  being  attained  by  means  of  the 
special  pattern  of  silencer.  The  7  h.p.  engine  is  of  large  size, 
5  inches  diameter  by  6  inches  stroke,  and  runs  at  a  compara- 
tively low  speed,  the  maximum  number  of  revolutions  per 
minute  being  760.  This  also  helps  in  the  solution  of  some  of 
those  problems  of  vibration  which  are  often  a  trouble  to  the 
designers  of  light  cars.  The  carburettor  is  especially  ingenious 
and  efficient.  It  is  of  the  mixing-valve  type,  the  suction  of 
the  piston  acting  so  as  to  draw  air  through  the  carburettor. 
The  passage  of  this  air  lifts  a  small  valve  which  normally  rests 
on  the  nozzle  of  the  petrol  supply,  and  so  impregnates  the  air 
with  petrol  vapour.  A  needle  valve  regulates  the  supply  of 
petrol  which  can  flow  to  the  nozzle,  and  needs  only  to  be 
adjusted  when  the  engine  is  started.  The  inlet  and  exhaust 
valves  are  placed  in  a  chamber  at  the  end  of  the  cylinder  and 
are  both  normally  held  in  their  places  by  springs,  the  valve 
chamber  being  so  arranged  that  by  the  removal  of  a  cover  both 
valves  are  accessible  for  the  purposes  of  inspection  and  re- 
grinding.  Both  are  operated  mechanically  by  the  usual  means 
— levers  thrust  up  by  cams  placed  on  the  half-time  shaft. 
The  exhaust -valve  cam  has  an  additional  projection  which 
lifts  the  valve  only  half  its  distance,  and  thus  produces  a  half- 
compression  which  is  of  material  assistance  in  starting  the 
engine.  This  mechanism  is  normally  out  of  gear,  but  is  brought 
into  activity  by  means  of  a  pedal  which  the  driver  presses  when 
he  is  about  to  turn  the  starting  handle. 

The  ignition  is  of  the  ordinary  high-tension  type,  and  is 
fed  by  two  sets  of  four-volt  dry  cells.  The  current  passes 
through  a  trembler  coil,  and  the  time  of  the  firing  is  con- 
trolled by  a  simple  "  make-and-break "  commutator  placed 
on  the  half-time  shaft.  A  sparking  plug  is  fitted  into  the 
end  of  the  cylinder,  where  the  charge  is  fired  by  the  usual 
jump-spark  ignition.  The  engine  drives  direct  from  a  pinion 
on  the  crank  shaft,  which  is  coupled  by  a  chain   to  another 


198  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

pinion  surrounding  the  differential  gear  on  the  rear  axle,  the 
top  speed  being  thus  a  direct  drive.  On  this  speed  the  Olds- 
mobile  is  almost  as  silent  and  as  free  from  vibration  as  a  steam 
car ;  in  fact,  on  its  first  appearance  in  this  country  it  was  often 
mistaken  for  a  steam  car,  as  no  petrol  vehicle  was  then  known 
to  run  as  silently  as  the  Oldsmobile.  A  low  gear  is  also  pro- 
vided for  hill-climbing,  and  is  obtained  through  a  Crypto  device 
which  is  locked  by  means  of  a  friction  clutch  when  the  high 
gear  is  desired.  A  reverse  is  also  attained  in  the  same  way. 
What  is  remarkable  about  the  Oldsmobile  car  is  the  unusual 
elasticity  of  the  top  speed,  on  which  the  car  will  not  only  climb 
fairly  steep  hills,  but  can  actually  be  started  from  a  state  of 
rest.  The  speed  of  the  car  on  the  direct  drive  is  controlled  by 
the  throttle,  which  actuates  a  valve  in  the  mixture  chamber, 
and  is  moved  by  a  pedal  under  the  driver's  foot.  The  gear 
change  is  quite  without  jar  or  shock,  and  is  controlled  by  a 
lever  on  the  right  hand  of  the  driver.  The  steering  is  by  a 
centrally  placed  tiller  held  in  the  driver's  left  hand  ;  this  works 
through  an  0-shaped  transverse  spring  on  the  front  axle,  and 
transmits  no  road  shocks  to  the  steering  handle.  The  starting 
handle  is  placed  on  the  side  of  the  car,  so  that  the  engine  can 
be  started  without  the  driver  leaving  his  seat.  The  lubrication 
of  the  piston  is  by  a  sight-feed  lubricator  which  can  be  turned 
on  or  off  from  the  driver's  seat.  Grease  cups  are  provided  on 
the  crank  shafts  and  oil  cups  on  the  half-time  shaft ;  a  drain 
cock  is  fitted  at  the  bottom  of  the  crank-shaft  casing  to  admit 
of  the  dirty  oil  being  drained  off.  The  engine  is  cooled  by 
water  driven  from  the  tank  through  the  water-jacket  and 
thence  to  a  radiator  placed  beneath  the  footboard  by  means 
of  a  centrifugal  pump  driven  from  the  left  end  of  the  crank 
shaft.  Large  water  and  petrol  tanks  are  provided,  allowing  for 
a  run  of  lOO  miles  without  refilling. 

The  top  speed  of  the  Oldsmobile  is  from  twenty-five  to  thirty 
miles  an  hour,  and  this  it  can  maintain  on  good  roads  for  long 
stretches  at  a  time.  It  is  a  fine-weather  vehicle,  but  a  hood  can 
be  supplied  for  use  in  wet  weather — a  very  doubtful  advantage. 
I  can  say  from  personal  experience  that  it  is  an  admirable 
car  to  drive  in  traffic.  On  the  occasion  of  the  late  Duke 
of  Cambridge's  funeral  I  happened  to  be  driving  in  an  Olds- 
mobile from   Mayfair  to    South    Kensington,  and    got  caught 


fr-^"* 


V 


i^^^^QIJJ  ^'  ll 


^>-« 


KXGIXK   AND   GEAR   ul-    Mi.l'.   uLl )SMr)l;lLE 


ENGINE   AND   (iEAK   OF  9-H.P.   OLDS.MOHILE 


LIGHT   CARS  199 

in  the  block  in  Park  Lane  for  iialf  an  hour.  There  was 
absolutely  no  movement  in  the  line,  but  although  the  engine 
was  running  the  whole  of  this  time,  there  was  not  the  least 
sign  of  overheating.  Afterwards  we  proceeded  at  a  snail's 
pace,  constantly  starting  and  stopping,  and  travelling  a  few 
yards  at  a  time  in  the  heavy  mass  of  traffic  going  down 
Knightsbridge  ;  and  although  we  occupied  something  like  forty 
minutes  in  going  from  Hyde  Park  Corner  to  South  Kensington 
Station,  and  were  constantly  being  caught  between  buses,  vans, 
and  hansom-cabs,  the  car  was  absolutely  under  control  in  every 
possible  way.  By  allowing  the  clutch  to  slip,  it  could  be  driven 
at  an  almost  infinitesimal  pace  ;  and  on  the  other  hand  could 
always  be  jumped  forward  and  pulled  up  again  when  an  oppor- 
tunity presented  itself.  There  was  no  sign  of  overheating  and 
no  unpleasant  vibration.  Messrs.  Jarrott  &  Letts,  who  sell 
the  Oldsmobile  in  this  country,  have  reduced  its  price  from 
^175  to  ;^I50.  Mr.  Jarrott  tells  me  that  before  he  decided 
to  undertake  the  sale  of  these  cars,  he  and  Mr.  Letts  had 
them  thoroughly  taken  to  pieces,  and  themselv^es  examined 
and  tested  every  separate  part,  as  they  were  determined  not 
to  identify  themselves  with  the  sale  of  a  flimsy  or  unsatisfactory 
vehicle.  That  the  car  should  have  survived  this  severe  ordeal 
by  such  extremely  interested  critics  is,  I  think,  a  very  good 
testimonial  to  its  qualities  ;  while  the  fact  that  two  Oldsmobiles 
secured  the  gold  and  silver  medals  in  the  Automobile  Club's 
reliability  trials  in  1903  is  evidence  of  endurance  through  a 
really  severe  test.  The  Oldsmobile  also  climbed  Snovvdon  in 
fifty-seven  minutes — a  piece  of  vandalism  which  I  suppose  must 
be  counted  to  its  credit  as  a  machine. 

The  second  pattern  of  this  car  illustrated  is  a  9  h.p.  tonneau 
car,  in  which  the  principle  of  construction  is  similar  to  that  of 
the  7  h.p.  except  that  the  tanks  are  placed  under  a  bonnet  in 
front.  The  appearance  of  an  ordinary  petrol  car  is  thus  closely 
imitated.  The  engine  is  larger,  and  the  transmission  more 
powerful ;  and  the  price  of  this  four-seated  car  is  200  guineas. 

THE    BELSIZE   JUNIOR 

A  very  interesting  little  car  is  the  Belsize  Junior,  which  is 
made  by  the  Belsize  Motor-Car  and  Engineering  Company, 
Limited,  of  Clayton,  Manchester.     This,  as  will  be  seen  from 


200  THE    COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

the  illustration,  is  a  two-seated  car  built  on  the  lines  of  a  large 
touring  car.  It  is  driven  by  a  single-cylinder  6  h.p.  vertical 
engine  45  inches  by  5  inches  in  dimensions,  but  capable  of 
developing  7  h.p.  at  1,000  revolutions  per  minute.  Both  valves 
are  mechanically  operated  and  interchangeable,  and  a  feature 
of  the  Belsize  construction  is  that  by  the  removal  of  one  nut 
both  valves  and  their  seats  can  be  taken  out  for  the  purposes 
of  examination  or  for  regrinding.  A  spray  carburettor  is  fitted, 
and  the  engine  is  governed  on  the  inlet ;  high-tension  ignition 
is  effected  through  a  trembler  coil  and  wipe  contact.  The  drive 
is  by  means  of  a  chain  from  the  engine  sprocket  to  a  transverse 
counter-shaft  in  the  middle  of  the  frame,  and  thence  again  by 
chain  to  the  sprocket  surrounding  the  differential  gear  on  the 
rear  axle.  One  lever  provides  three  forward  speeds  and  one 
reverse,  the  drive  on  the  top  speed  being  direct.  The  throttle 
and  ignition  levers  are  placed  on  the  quadrants  on  the  steering 
wheel,  and  the  usual  double-acting  brakes  are  provided.  The 
chains  are  covered  in  from  mud  and  dust,  although  the  chain 
guard  is  not  shown  in  my  illustration.  The  engine  is  water- 
cooled  by  means  of  an  internal  cog-wheel  pump  driven  direct 
from  the  crank  shaft,  the  water  being  contained  in  a  honeycomb 
radiator.  The  car  is  remarkably  well  finished  ;  there  is  plenty 
of  room  for  tools,  spare  parts,  and  even  for  luggage,  and  the 
makers  are  to  be  congratulated  on  their  practice  of  fitting  large 
tyres  of  the  very  best  manufacture  on  the  artillery  wheels,  this 
being  a  matter  in  which  the  makers  of  cheap  cars  are  often 
given  to  unwise  economy.     The  price  of  this  car  is  175  guineas. 

THE   BABY    PEUGEOT   CAR 

The  Baby  Peugeot  6|  h.p.  car  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  low- 
priced  motor-cars  built  more  or  less  on  the  lines  of  large  vehicles. 
It  has  earned  for  itself  a  worthy  reputation  in  England,  where  it 
has  become  immensely  popular;  and  justly  so,  for  it  is  low  in 
price,  soundly  designed,  well  built,  and  combines  simplicity 
with  a  reasonable  durability.  It  has  a  vertical  single-cylinder 
high-speed  engine  placed  in  front  of  the  car  under  a  bonnet,  the 
drive  being  through  a  change-speed  gear  actuated  by  sliding 
spur  wheels  to  a  propellor  shaft  which  drives  the  live  rear  axle. 
It  seats  two  persons,  and  contains  ample  room  for  luggage, 


202  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

tools,  and  spare  parts.  The  main  frame  is  of  steel  tubes,  the 
side  members  of  which  are  curved  upwards  in  the  rear  part  of 
the  car,  and  terminate  in  plates  which  are  fastened  to  the 
highest  portions  of  the  semi-elliptic  rear  springs.  The  engine  is 
secured  by  means  of  the  crank  case  to  the  frame  itself.  The 
single  cylinder  has  an  equal  bore  and  stroke  of  no  mm.  It  is 
scientifically  designed,  and  develops  a  high  power  in  proportion 
to  its  dimensions  ;  it  gives  about  yh  h.p.  on  the  brake  when 
running  at  about  i,ooo  revolutions.  Vibration  is  reduced  by 
ample  fly-wheel  capacity,  and  further  balance  is  secured  by  the 
provision  of  two  fly-wheels  instead  of  one.  The  inlet  valve  is 
automatic  and  is  situated  on  the  top  of  the  cylinder  above  the 
exhaust  valve.  The  mixture  passes  through  a  throttle  valve  on 
its  way  from  the  carburettor  to  the  inlet  valve,  the  throttle 
being  controlled  by  a  lever  on  the  steering  wheel.  No  attempt 
is  made — and  in  small  engines  this  is  a  wise  policy — to  provide 
for  an  absolutely  automatic  mixture  at  all  speeds  of  the  engine, 
but  a  hand-lever  is  provided  on  the  steering  wheel  by  means  of 
which  more  or  less  air  can  be  supplied  to  the  carburettor,  and 
the  mixture  thus  varied  according  to  the  speed.  The  ignition 
is  on  the  ordinary  high-tension  system,  the  commutator  being 
in  this  case  placed  in  front  of  the  car  at  the  front  end  of  the  cam 
shaft,  its  position,  by  which  the  timing  of  the  spark  is  affected, 
being  controlled  by  another  lever  on  the  steering  wheel.  The 
water  for  cooling  purposes  is  contained  in  a  combined  radiator 
and  tank  of  the  honeycomb  pattern,  and  is  driven  through  the 
water-jacket  of  the  engine  by  means  of  a  centrifugal  pump 
which  is  run  by  friction  off  the  fly-wheel.  A  fan,  placed  imme- 
diately behind  the  radiator,  is  driven  by  a  flat  belt  from  the 
engine  shaft. 

The  transmission  is  simple  and  effective.  A  cone  clutch,  the 
inner  member  of  which  has  a  leather  face,  drives  the  clutch 
shaft  through  a  gear-box  containing  a  second-motion  shaft ;  but 
by  means  of  a  jaw-clutch  it  drives  direct  to  the  propellor  shaft 
on  the  top  speed.  There  are  three  speeds  and  a  reverse, 
obtained  in  the  usual  way  by  spur  wheels  sliding  on  the  clutch 
shaft  and  engaging  with  corresponding  wheels  on  the  second- 
motion  shaft.  A  brake-drum  is  carried  on  the  driving  shaft,  and 
there  is  a  gently  acting  brake  also  fitted  in  connection  with  the 
clutch,  which  automatically  retards  the  speed  of  the  gear  shaft 


LIGHT   CARS  203 

when  the  clutch  is  depressed  in  changing  speed.  The  gear-box 
is  automatically  lubricated  from  the  drip-feed  lubricator  fixed 
on  the  dashboard.  The  propellor  shaft,  which  is  universally 
jointed,  drives  direct  to  the  differential  gear  on  the  main  axle. 

The  wheels  are  of  the  artillery  type,  the  wheel  base  being 
5  feet  7  inches,  and  the  track  3  feet  6  inches.  External  band 
brakes  are  applied  to  the  drums  on  the  rear  wheels  by  a  large 
lever  at  the  driver's  right  hand  ;  the  drum  brake  on  the  driving 
shaft  is  applied  by  a  pedal  which  also  engages  with  the  clutch 
pedal,  i^ll  other  control  is  on  the  steering  pillar  itself  Steer- 
ing is  by  wheel,  operating  a  rack  and  pinion  gear  through  a 
sloping  pillar.  On  this  pillar  are  fixed  four  small  levers  con- 
trolling respectively  the  throttle  valves,  the  change-speed 
mechanism,  the  air  supply  to  the  carburettor,  and  the  time  of 
the  ignition.  The  top  speed  of  this  little  car  is  about  twenty- 
eight  miles  an  hour,  and  its  price  is  £i9S- 

THE   ROOTS    PARAFFIN   CAR 

The  distinguishing  feature  of  these  cars,  which  are  manufac- 
tured by  Sir  W.  G.  Armstrong,  Whitworth  &  Co.,  for  the 
Roots  Oil  Motor  and  Motor-Car,  Limited,  is  that  the  only  fuel 
used  is  ordinary  commercial  paraffin.  The  main  features  of  the 
car  will  be  seen  in  the  illustration,  but  the  point  that  will  more 
particularly  interest  my  readers  is,  of  course,  the  motor  itself 
The  utilisation  of  paraffin  for  motor-car  work  has  been  attended 
with  several  difficulties  which  have  been  for  some  years  past 
successfully  overcome  by  the  "  Roots  "  motor,  and  this  motor 
has  now  been  developed  to  a  point  at  which  it  is  as  flexible  in 
working  as  the  ordinary  petrol  motor.  The  advantage  of  oil  or 
paraffin  over  the  dangerous  volatile  petrol  spirit  lies  not  only  in 
the  greater  safety  in  the  working  of  the  car,  but  also  in  the 
reduced  running  cost,  which  is  from  one-third  to  one-fourth  the 
price  of  running  a  petrol-spirit  car. 

The  motor  is  extremely  simple,  and  as  regards  the  ordinary 
working  parts  presents  no  special  features.  It  is  in  the  oil-feed 
and  the  vaporiser  that  we  find  a  special  point  of  interest.  The 
oil  is  conveyed  to  the  oil-feeder,  in  which  works  a  spindle  with 
a  reciprocating  motion,  and  this  spindle  carries  forward  at  every 
stroke  a  measured  quantity  of  paraffin  which  flows  into  the 


204  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

vaporiser  and  is  vaporised  by  the  rapidly  moving  current  of 
heated  air  passing  to  the  cylinder  through  the  vaporiser.  Two 
kinds  of  ignition  are  used — tube  ignition,  by  which  the  tube  is 
heated  by  a  lamp  for  starting,  and  electric  ignition  for  running. 
When  once  the  engine  is  started  the  lamp  can  be  extinguished, 
and  the  engine  then  runs  on  the  electric  ignition,  the  vaporiser 
being  kept  hot  by  the  exhaust  gases  passing  round  it.  The 
current  for  the  electric  ignition  may  be  generated  either  by 
magneto  machine  or  by  accumulator. 

The  governing  of  the  engine  is  performed  by  a  centrifugal 
governor  on  the  half-speed  shaft,  which,  by  means  of  a  hardened 
steel  block,  prevents  the  exhaust  valve  entirely  closing,  and  also 
limits  the  travel  of  the  oil-feed  spindle  so  that  the  oil  groove  in 
it  does  not  enter  the  chamber  communicating  with  the  vaporiser. 
Nominally  the  speed  of  the  engine  is  750  revolutions  per 
minute,  which  can  be  reduced  to  400  revolutions  per  minute  or 
increased  to  850  without  any  detriment  to  its  working.  The 
motor  drives  by  means  of  a  friction  clutch  and  a  Renolds  chain 
to  the  gear-box,  which  is  provided  with  three  speeds  and  a 
reverse.  One  small  hand-lever  placed  on  the  steering  column 
underneath  the  wheel  controls  the  speed  changes.  The  spark 
adjustment  is  also  attached  to  the  steering  column  on  the  side 
opposite  to  the  speed  lever.  Two  pedals  are  provided,  one  for 
the  clutch  and  brake,  the  other  for  the  brake  only.  The  brake- 
lever  movement  releases  the  clutch  before  applying  the  brakes. 
From  the  gear-box  a  roller-chain  drives  the  live  back  axle  upon 
which  the  differential  gear  is  fitted.  Ball  bearings  are  fitted  to 
all  four  wheels,  and  the  maximum  speed  of  the  car  with  the 
gear  is  twenty-one  miles  an  hour  on  the  level  at  750  revolu- 
tions of  the  engine. 

It  is  probable  that  before  long  the  exorbitant  price  of 
petrol  will  bring  to  the  front  the  use  of  the  paraffin  motor,  not 
only  for  the  pleasure  or  ordinary  motor-car,  but  for  all  com- 
mercial vans  and  lorries.  When  a  fuel  of  one-fourth  the  price 
can  be  utilised  economy  becomes  a  very  prominent  advantage. 
For  the  tropics  and  places  abroad  the  paraffin  car  is  essential, 
owing  to  the  prohibitive  price  of  petrol  and  its  increased  danger 
in  hot  climates.  In  Calcutta,  for  example,  petrol  costs  3^.  6d. 
to  \s.  per  gallon,  while  paraffin  costs  about  \s.  2d.  per  gallon. 
The  5  h.p.  Roots  car,  which,  fitted  with  solid  tyres,  is  sold  at 


LIGHT   CARS  205 

£ig6,  can  run  about  thirty  miles  on  one  gallon  of  common 
lamp  oil.  For  economy  in  running,  therefore,  it  has  few  rivals, 
while  Sir  W.  G.  Armstrong,  Whitworth  &  Company's  name 
should  be  a  sufficient  guarantee  that  the  expenditure  on  repairs 
will  not  be  heavy.  The  I2  h.p.  cars  by  the  same  firm  are  fitted 
to  carry  four,  six,  or  eight  persons.  The  same  chassis  is  made 
also  as  a  light  lorry  to  carry  twenty-five  hundredweight,  and 
with  a  slightly  longer  chassis  they  are  made  as  covered  vans 
to  carry  thirty  hundredweight. 

THE   WOLSELEY   LIGHT   CAR 

The  Wolseley  Company  have  devoted  no  little  time  and 
trouble  to  meeting  the  demand  for  a  cheap  and  simple  light 
car  in  which  only  the  highest  quality  of  workmanship  and 
material  are  used.  Their  system  of  construction,  employing 
a  horizontal  engine,  is  readily  adaptable  to  the  limitations  of 
design  imposed  in  a  cheap  and  light  car  of  low  horse-power  ; 
and  the  merits  of  their  system  are  in  no  case  seen  to  better 
advantage  than  in  the  6  h.p.  light  car,  which  is  sold  complete 
for  £i7S-  I"  principle  the  design  is  practically  identical  with 
that  of  the  larger  cars  described  in  Chapter  IV.  ;  but  some 
slight  modifications  have  been  introduced  for  the  purpose  of 
reducing  the  cost  of  construction.  The  engine  has  a  single 
cylinder  4J  inches  in  diameter  by  5  inches  stroke,  and  works 
at  a  speed  of  from  800  to  900  revolutions  per  minute.  The 
inlet  valve  is  atmospheric,  and  the  only  gearing  required  on  the 
engine  itself  is  that  which  actuates  the  exhaust  valve  and  the 
pump.  The  transmission  is,  like  that  in  the  larger  cars,  by  a 
Renolds  chain  from  the  motor  to  the  gear-box,  but  at  this 
point  a  change  has  been  made  in  the  interests  of  lightness  and 
economy.  There  are  only  three  forward  speeds  and  a  reverse, 
and  the  gear-box,  instead  of  being  in  connection  with  a  differ- 
ential shaft,  is  self-contained,  and  a  single  roller-chain  drives 
from  it  to  a  live  rear  axle  in  which  the  differential  gear  is 
situated.  The  arrangement  of  brakes  is  also  different.  A  band- 
brake  on  the  differential  gear-box  is  operated  by  a  foot  pedal, 
and  the  hand-lever  actuates  double-acting  band-brakes  on  the 
driving  wheels  of  the  car. 

All  the  other  Wolseley  characteristics  are  to  be  found  on  this 


206  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

vehicle ;  the  throttle  valve  and  ignition  are  both  controlled  by 
levers  on  the  steering  pillar ;  cooling  and  lubrication  are  on  the 
standard  Wolseley  lines ;  and  the  mechanism  for  producing 
half  compression  when  the  motor  is  being  started  is  also  pro- 
vided. The  car  has  two  comfortable  seats  with  ample  room 
behind  for  luggage,  tools,  and  spare  parts ;  the  wheels  are  of 
artillery  pattern  and  are  fitted  with  heavy  Dunlop  28-inch  tyres, 
although  this  little  vehicle  is  quite  able  to  endure  the  vibration 
caused  by  the  use  of  solid  tyres  on  the  driving  wheels.  It  is 
capable,  when  fully  loaded,  of  maintaining  an  average  speed 
of  twenty  miles  an  hour,  which,  considering  the  small  dimen- 
sions of  the  engine,  indicates  a  very  high  degree  of  efficiency, 
in  the  motor  and  transmission.  The  frame  is  of  channel  section 
pressed  steel,  and  is  carried  on  semi-elliptical  springs,  the  two 
rear  ones  being  connected  by  a  transverse  spring.  The  Wolseley 
light  car  has  distinguished  itself  in  all  the  reliability  trials  for 
which  it  has  been  entered  ;  and  its  smart  lines  and  neat  finish, 
combined  with  the  really  high  class  of  workmanship  and  material 
that  are  put  into  it,  have  already  earned  for  it  a  wide  and  in- 
creasing popularity. 

THE    HUMBER   CAR 

The  Humber  Company  have  long  enjoyed  a  great  reputation 
as  cycle  builders,  and  are  sparing  no  efforts  to  secure  a  similar 
position  in  the  motor  industry.  Their  light  cars  are  made  in 
5  h.p.,  6h  h.p.,  and  8|  h.p.  The  small  cars  have  single-cylinder 
engines  developing  their  normal  power  at  about  i,5C)0  revolutions, 
and  are  capable  of  speed  up  to  about  twenty-five  miles  an  hour. 
The  frames  are  of  steel  tubing.  Float-feed  carburettors  of  the 
Longuemare  pattern  are  employed,  and  the  engines  are  governed 
automatically.  The  drive  is  by  a  universally  jointed  shaft  from 
the  gear-box  in  the  centre  of  the  car  to  a  live  axle  on  the  rear 
wheels.  The  chief  feature  of  these  little  cars  is  their  extremely 
low  price,  which  ranges  from  125  to  160  guineas. 


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CHAPTER  IX 
THE    USE    AND    RUNNING    OF   A    MOTOR-CAR 

A  difficult  art — The  perfect  driver — Learning  to  steer — An  obstacle  race — The 
folly  of  knowing  only  the  handle  end— Incident  of  the  two  brothers — Starting 
for  Wales — Incident  in  the  Kew  Road — Incident  of  the  traction-engine — Incident 
of  the  rope  and  the  cab — Sweats,  bruises,  and  terrors — Fervidis  rotis — Complete 
demoralisation  of  the  brothers — Moral — Learning  to  control  a  car — Starting  the 
engine — Changing  speed — The  use  of  the  clutch — Driving  on  hills — Where 
a  collision  is  desirable — Use  of  the  ignition  lever — Driving  on  the  throttle — 
Overheating  —  Improper  lubrication — Vagaries  of  the  carburettor  —  Starting  on 
a  journey — Supplies  to  be  carried— A  last  look  round — The  first  few  miles — 
Taking  risks — The  cow,  the  dog,  and  the  hen — Mental  endurance — Men  and 
horses — A  plea  for  decency  and  humanity — The  motor  hooligan — Things  to 
remember — Women,  children,  and  dogs — The  unattended  horse — The  world 
of  the  village  street. 

THE  proper  management  of  a  motor-car  on  the  road 
consists  of  many  things.  It  is  easy  to  learn  to  steer ;  it 
is  easy  to  learn  to  change  speeds,  to  use  the  clutch,  to  regulate 
the  ignition  and  the  explosion  mixture ;  but  these  things  belong 
only  to  the  elementary  education  of  an  expert  motorist.  At 
the  same  time,  they  are  the  only  parts  of  the  science  that 
can  be  actually  taught ;  everything  else  must  be  learned  by 
actual  experience  on  the  road  and  by  a  close  study  of  the 
principles  on  which  the  car  is  constructed.  Almost  anybody 
can  learn  the  elementary  part  of  motor  driving,  but  compara- 
tively few  ever  attain  to  the  perfection  of  competence  which 
implies  an  acute  sympathy  with  the  mechanism  which  is  being 
controlled,  a  vision  quick  to  observe,  a  mind  quick  to  notice, 
hands  quick  to  act — the  perfect  ear  and  touch,  in  fact,  of  which 
I  have  already  spoken.  The  first-rate  driver  of  a  motor-car 
is  he  who  anticipates  every  variation  of  the  mechanism  under 
his  control,  preventing,  rather  than  waiting  to  correct,  its  aberra- 
tions, foreseeing  and  avoiding  difficulties  of  traffic  rather  than 

207 


208  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

extricating  himself  from  them,  and  noting  subconsciously  the 
hundred  and  one  trifling  incidents  in  the  behaviour  of  the 
machinery  that  go  to  make  up  its  life  and  express  its  idio- 
syncrasies. 

Before  even  learning  to  steer  a  motor-car  it  is  necessary  to 
know  how  to  control  any  vehicle  on  the  public  roads.  In  my 
opinion  the  people  who  make  the  best  drivers  of  motor-cars 
are  those  who  have  been  accustomed  to  handle  yachts  and  small 
boats — the  machines,  that  is  to  say,  in  which  the  art  of  steering 
has  been  brought  to  the  greatest  nicety,  which  are  entirely 
governed  by  external  conditions  over  which  the  occupant  has 
no  control,  and  to  which  he  must  on  the  instant  adapt  them. 
The  next  best  training  is  that  afforded  by  the  ordinary  bicycle  ; 
it  trains  the  eye  to  an  approximate  judgment  of  distances  and 
to  steering  on  the  ordinary  public  roads.  All  the  same,  it  must 
be  remembered  that  the  bicycle  is  a  machine  steered  by  balance 
and  the  equilibrium  of  the  rider's  body,  with  which  it  forms 
a  dynamic  unity,  and  the  variations  of  which  it  tends  to  correct. 
So  that  steering  on  a  bicycle  is  really  a  matter  of  will  more 
than  of  muscular  action,  and  is  in  that  way  quite  different  from 
the  steering  of  a  motor-car.  Nevertheless,  as  the  speed  of  a 
bicycle  is  commonly  in  excess  of  the  ordinary  road  vehicles,  its 
use  is  a  very  good  introduction  to  the  science  and  art  of 
motoring.  Next  to  the  bicycle  the  best  means  of  learning  to 
drive  a  motor-car  is  probably  the  ordinary  horse-drawn  trap.  In 
this  the  driver  cannot  or  ought  not  to  act  merely  subconsciously 
as  in  the  case  of  the  bicycle ;  he  must  be  alert  to  the  conditions 
surrounding  him,  and  in  order  to  produce  a  change  in  the 
direction  or  speed  of  his  vehicle,  must  not  only  experience  an 
impulse  in  himself,  but  must  communicate  it  to  the  animal 
drawing  his  carriage.  The  width  of  a  horse-drawn  vehicle, 
moreover,  being  approximately  that  of  a  motor-car,  the  use 
of  it  provides  a  valuable  education  and  experience  in  driving  in 
traffic  where  distances  have  to  be  judged  with  great  exactness, 
and  where  the  driver  must  know  at  a  glance  whether  there  is  or 
is  not  room  for  his  vehicle  to  pass. 

Some  one  of  these  experiences  is  certainly  necessary  as  an 
introduction  to  motoring,  and  equipped  with  it,  the  novice 
will  find  steering  a  matter  very  easily  learned.  This  should  be 
studied   and    practised    quite   apart   from    the    control    of    the 


USE   AND   RUNNING   OF   A    MOTOR-CAR        209 

machinery,  and  should  be  practised,  if  possible,  on  a  lonely  and 
empty  road.  The  engine  having  been  started,  the  car  should  be 
put  on  its  first  speed,  and  an  experienced  motorist  should  sit  on 
the  left-hand  seat  and  control  the  clutch  pedal.  The  novice 
may  then  set  himself  to  steer  straight  along  the  road  for  a  given 
distance.  At  first  his  whole  tendency  will  be  to  turn  the  wheel 
or  tiller  too  far  in  either  direction,  so  driving  the  car  along  a 
zigzag  course.  This  tendency,  however,  will  very  quickly  dis- 
appear, and  the  learner,  after  having  driven  for  a  little  while  on 
the  low  speed,  may  proceed  to  the  second.  If  his  first  lesson 
has  been  properly  learned,  he  will  find  that  straight  steering 
is  much  easier  at  the  slightly  higher  speed ;  but  the  attention 
and  concentration  which  his  task  demands  will  possibly  prove 
very  exhausting  ;  and  he  should  begin  by  driving  on  the  higher 
speed  only  for  a  few  hundred  yards  at  a  time.  He  should  also 
practise  steering  backwards  until  he  can  do  so  with  complete 
confidence.  The  mastery  of  this  stage  will  probablj'  prove 
quite  a  sufficient  study  for  the  day  ;  and  a  second  day  should  be 
devoted  to  steering  with  either  hand  singly  until  the  same  ease 
of  control  is  secured  as  with  two  hands. 

The  arrangement  of  most  cars  makes  it  impossible  for  the 
novice  to  study  steering  any  farther,  apart  from  the  control  of 
the  speed  mechanism,  as  on  a  car  of  the  standard  type  it  would 
be  dangerous  and  very  difficult  for  a  person  seated  on  the  left 
of  the  car  to  attempt  to  control  the  speed  levers  and  brakes 
as  well  as  the  clutch.  In  a  Lanchester  car,  or  any  similar  type 
in  which  all  the  controlling  levers  are  situated  between  the  two 
passengers,  the  steering  lesson  may  profitably  be  continued  until 
the  beginner  has  learned  to  steer  the  car  with  perfect  precision 
and  confidence  at  its  top  speed.  Steering  on  a  straight  road, 
however,  is  only  a  small  part  of  the  lesson,  which  should  be 
continued  in  a  large  courtyard  or  fairly  level  field,  if  one  can 
be  found.  Obstacles,  such  as  boxes  and  cans,  should  be  variously 
placed  on  this  manoeuvring  ground,  and  some  of  them  being 
only  sufficiently  far  apart  to  allow  the  car  to  pass  between  with- 
out touching  them.  Another  good  way  to  practise  on  a  large 
paved  space  is  to  drive  the  car  along  marks  made  on  the  ground 
by  means  of  chalk  or  whitewash  ;  and  after  a  very  few  days  at 
these  exercises  the  learner  will  have  begun  to  feel  quite  at 
home  with  the  wheel  or  tiller  of  his  car,  and  will  have  mastered 
p 


210  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

that  essential  principle  of  all  steering,  which  requires  that  all 
movements  of  the  steering  apparatus  should  be  corrected  as 
soon  as  they  begin  to  take  effect.  This  principle  is  best  illus- 
trated in  the  handling  of  large  steamers,  which,  when  they  are 
being  steered  at  very  slow  speeds,  often  require  the  complete 
reversing  of  the  helm  before  any  movement  is  perceptible. 
Thus  if  it  is  required  to  turn  a  large  slow-moving  steamer  to 
starboard,  the  helm  will  have  to  be  put  hard  over  to  port  and 
held  there  until  the  vessel's  head  begins  to  come  round  ;  and 
the  moment  it  begins  to  do  so  it  will  be  necessary,  as  they  say, 
to  "  meet  her "  ;  that  is  to  say,  to  spin  the  wheel  round  hard 
a-starboard  again  in  order  to  arrest  the  turning  movement  in 
time.  These  movements  in  an  infinitely  more  rapid  and  finer 
degree  are  exactly  what  take  place  in  the  steering  of  a  motor- 
car ;  and  it  is  by  the  unconscious  and  automatic  correction  of 
every  steering  impulse  that  secure  and  perfect  guidance  is 
obtained.  Another  principle  in  steering  is  to  keep  the  eyes 
fiixed  on  the  road  some  distance  ahead  of  the  car,  and  not  on 
the  front  wheels  of  the  car  themselves.  By  this  means  jerky 
steering  is  avoided,  and  any  deviations  that  are  necessary  are 
made  through  large  arcs  and  smooth,  wide  curves. 

The  principles  of  steering  having  been  mastered  and  a  fair 
degree  of  confidence  and  assurance  attained,  the  control  of  the 
mechanism  may  be  tackled.  This  differs  in  detail  in  different 
cars,  but  there  are  certain  principles  of  construction  and  control 
which  apply  to  the  great  majority  of  petrol-driven  cars.  I  need 
hardly  say  that  the  first  step  in  learning  the  control  of  any 
mechanism  is  to  study  the  mechanism  itself  and  to  grasp  the 
principles  on  which  it  works  and  by  which  it  is  controlled. 
Nothing  can  be  more  fatal  than  to  know  only  the  handle  ends 
of  the  various  levers,  and  to  be  entirely  ignorant  of  what 
happens  underneath  the  footboard  when  they  are  moved.  This 
ignorance  is  the  cause,  not  only  of  countless  minor  accidents, 
but  of  much  of  the  disappointment  and  disillusion  of  many 
would-be  motorists,  and  of  not  a  little  of  the  commonly  held 
prejudice  that  motoring,  even  at  its  simplest,  is  a  difficult  and 
dangerous  pastime.  I  knew  a  man  who,  after  a  long  residence 
abroad,  came  home  on  six  months'  leave  and  decided  that  he 
would  like  to  spend  part  of  the  time  touring  in  England  on  a 
motor-car.     He  went  to  the  Army  and  Navy  Stores  and  bought 


USE   AND   RUNNING   OF   A   MOTOR-CAR        211 

a  car  of  a  well-known  make  and  (fortunately  for  him)  of  small 
horse-power.  He  hired  the  services  of  an  "  expert,"  who  gave 
him  two  days'  instruction  in  the  management  of  the  car ;  and 
he  then  decided  that  he  would  start  for  Wales  the  next  day. 

We  may  pause  for  a  moment  to  consider  the  situation  of  this 
man,  his  courage,  and  his  folly.  He  knew  absolutely  nothing 
about  machinery ;  the  petrol  motor  itself  was  a  nightmare  of 
mystery  to  him  ;  he  knew  neither  the  purpose  nor  action  of 
crank,  valve,  or  carburettor.  His  two  days'  instruction  had 
taught  him  that  when  he  (or  rather  the  instructor)  had  moved 
certain  levers,  certain  things  had  happened  ;  and  these  miracles 
of  cause  and  effect  he  had,  by  I  know  not  what  toilsome  in- 
tellectual effort,  committed  to  memory.  Thus  doomed,  he 
started  early  one  morning,  accompanied  by  a  brother  as  innocent 
as  himself,  to  drive  into  North  Wales. 

The  morning  broke  sunny  after  a  night  of  rain,  and  the  streets 
of  London  lay  shining  with  the  smooth  and  inviting  surface 
which  in  this  condition  they  offer  to  wheeled  vehicles.  It  was 
in  the  Chiswick  High  Street  that  the  inevitable  happened,  and 
our  daring  voyager  saw  the  street  begin  to  revolve  about  his 
car,  and  himself,  his  brother,  and  his  new  possession  all  being 
precipitated  sideways  with  the  speed  of  an  arrow  towards  the 
monstrous  and  inexorable  approach  of  an  electric  tram-car. 
Something  stopped  in  time,  of  course ;  there  would  be  no 
motorists  alive  if  things  did  not,  in  the  early  days,  stop  in  time ; 
and  we  may  picture  a  shaking  and  sweating  proprietor  alighting 
from  his  natty,  smartly-painted  vehicle,  wondering  what  he  had 
done  or  not  done,  what  law  of  nature  he  had  transgressed,  that 
the  world  should  thus  apparently  swing  out  of  its  course  in 
order  to  destroy  him.  Fatal,  devoted  innocent,  thou  wert  then 
but  on  the  borders  of  knowledge  !  No  one  had  forewarned  thee 
of  side-slip ;  yet  a  hundred  other  things,  prepared  for  thy  learn- 
ing and  bewilderment,  lurked  within  the  future  of  that  sunny 
morning ! 

I  forget  the  details  of  the  journey  and  of  the  many  tragic  and 
humiliating  things  that  happened  to  the  brothers  ;  how  they 
crept  northwards  through  England,  now  towed  by  a  traction- 
engine,  now  at  the  tail  of  the  harmless,  necessary  cab,  now  (the 
gods  being  for  the  moment  propitiated  and  the  miracle  com- 
passed!) crawling  along  on  their  own  first  speed.    Daily  the  face 


212  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

of  the  driver  grew  more  worn,  daily  his  nerves  became  more  and 
more  frayed,  daily  the  nightmare  of  his  occupation  grew  upon 
him  ;  and  as  at  the  fall  of  each  new  evening  the  car  was  by 
some  means  plucked  into  shelter  and  the  harassed  driver 
sought  his  bed,  it  was  but  to  spend  the  sleep-forsaken  hours  of 
the  night  telling  over  in  his  mind  the  lesson  of  the  day's  sur- 
prising adventures,  committing  to  memory  a  hundred  precau- 
tions, peering  into  the  dark  future  for  a  hundred  possibilities 
of  new  disaster.  And  daily  it  was  a  more  shaken,  a  more 
withered,  a  more  haunted  and  demoralised  man  who  took  his 
seat  at  the  wheel. 

Sunt  quos  curriculo  pulverem  Olympicum 
Collegisse  iuvat,  metaque  fervidis 
Evitata  rotis.  .  .  . 

but  I  doubt  if  my  poor  friend  was  one  of  them.  The  "  goal 
by  hot  wheels  shunn'd "  lay  too  far  and  inaccessibly  before 
him. 

The  things  that  happened  to  these  men  were,  of  course,  the 
ordinary  things  that  would  happen  to  all  entirely  unwarned  and 
untaught  voyagers.  I  am  handicapped  in  my  attempt  to  give  an 
account  of  them  by  the  fact  that  my  informant — the  passive  and 
therefore,  perhaps,  the  more  unhappy  partner  in  the  adventure — 
was  entirely  ignorant  of  the  names  of  the  simplest  parts  of  the 
mechanism  ;  but  from  his  obscure  narration  I  have  been  able 
to  string  together  something  like  an  account  of  what  really 
happened.  At  one  time  it  appears  that  in  trying  to  start  the 
engine  "the  handle  thing  on  the  top  of  the  dome  broke  off"; 
and  laborious  cross-examination  has  convinced  me  that  this 
statement  refers  to  the  compression  tap,  although  in  what  con- 
vulsion, in  what  tortured  writhing  of  the  brother  who  was  start- 
ing the  engine,  this  occurred,  I  have  been  unable  to  discover. 
The  result,  it  appeared,  took  the  form  of  ropes  and  a  cab.  At 
another  time,  at  many  other  times,  indeed,  they  ran  short  of 
petrol ;  no  amount  of  experience  could  induce  them  to  "encum- 
ber themselves  "  (that  was  his  word)  with  a  spare  can  of  spirit ; 
and  so  when  all  other  manners  of  breakdown  failed  they  seem 
always  to  have  run  short  of  petrol.  Then  their  exhaust  valve  be- 
came sooted  up  and  the  engine  stopped  ;  then  they  missed  their 
change  of  speed  on  a  hill,  stopped  the  engine,  and  nearly  ran 


USE   AND   RUNNING   OF   A   MOTOR-CAR        213 

backwards  to  destruction.  Then  their  water  system  sprang  a 
leak  and  they  never  knew  it  until  the  car  stopped  again.  After 
five  days  of  anxieties,  bruises,  sweats,  and  terrors,  the  engine 
back-fired  when  they  were  trying  to  start  her  and  nearly  broke 
the  acting  partner's  arm.  They  had  by  that  time  travelled 
about  150  miles  from  London;  the  "expert"  (who,  no  doubt, 
was  lying  in  wait)  was  wired  to,  and  the  car  sold  for  a  song.  I 
gather  that  in  the  last  two  days  their  nerve  entirely  gave  out, 
and  that  they  became  utterly  demoralised.  On  the  slightest 
sign  of  anything  going  wrong  they  made  no  attempt  to  deal 
with  it,  but  scanned  the  horizon  for  the  nearest  cart  or  traction- 
engine  and  signalled  for  a  tow.  It  was  enough  if  a  spring  broke 
or  a  tap  had  not  been  turned  on  ;  panic  reigned,  the  rope  was 
produced,  and  the  car  dragged  to  the  nearest  town.  But  by 
what  miracle  or  indulgence  it  was  that  they  had  no  ignition 
troubles,  or  that  they  neither  inflicted  nor  suffered  death  or 
bodily  injury,  can  only  be  known  to  that  youthful  spirit  whom 
I  imagine  to  be  detailed  by  Providence  to  the  oversight  of 
motoring  novices,  who  tempers  the  wind  of  destiny  to  beginners, 
and  in  his  mercy  prevents  them. 

This  tale  has  two  morals.  One  concerns  the  absurdity  of  a  law 
which  allows  anyone  to  buy  what  may  very  easily  be  an  engine 
of  destruction  to  life  and  property,  and  to  drive  it  about  the 
public  streets  without  having  learned  the  elements  of  its  nature 
and  control.  The  other  moral  is  that  dislike  of  motor-cars, 
whether  by  the  public  or  by  those  who  have  tried  to  drive 
them,  is  more  often  caused  by  the  folly  and  ignorance  of  the 
users  than  by  faults  in  the  machines  themselves.  The  first  duty 
of  every  motorist,  as  I  have  so  often  said,  is  to  understand  his 
car  thoroughly  in  every  detail. 

Having  learned,  therefore,  how  his  car  is  constructed  and  how 
to  steer  it  in  all  conditions  of  traffic,  he  may  proceed  to  learn 
and  practise  its  control.  The  means  by  which  this  is  effected 
will  be  found  on  cars  of  the  standard  type  to  consist,  in  addition 
to  the  steering  wheel,  of  one  or  two  change-speed  levers  fixed 
at  the  driver's  right  hand,  a  brake  lever  fixed  beside  them,  and 
two  other  levers  governing  respectively  the  timing  of  the  ignition 
and  the  volume  of  gas  admitted  to  the  cylinders.  These  two 
levers  may  either  be  fixed  on  the  dashboard  in  front  of  the 
driver,  on  the  steering  pillar,  or,  as  is  the  more  usual  modern 


214  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

practice,  they  will  consist  of  two  brass  arms  working  in  the 
notched  quadrants  on  the  steering  wheel  itself,  the  movement 
being  communicated  by  means  of  spindles  fixed  within  the 
steering  pillar.  In  addition,  at  the  driver's  feet  will  be  found 
two  or  three  pedals.  One  of  these  is  for  operating  the  clutch. 
When  it  is  in  its  normal  upward  position  the  clutch  is  coupled 
to  the  fly-wheel  by  means  of  a  strong  spring,  and  the  motion 
of  the  engine  is  communicated  to  the  gear  ;  and  when  it  is 
depressed  by  the  driver's  foot  the  clutch  is  disengaged,  and 
the  engine  runs  free  without  driving  the  car.  Another  pedal 
actuates  a  brake  which  works  on  a  drum  on  the  counter-shaft  or 
differential  ;  in  the  case  of  a  few  cars  there  is  a  second  pedal 
brake  working  on  a  drum  on  the  second-motion  shaft.  These 
pedal  brakes  are  usually  so  connected  that  the  act  of  depressing 
them  disengages  the  clutch  before  the  brakes  are  applied,  so 
that  the  damage  which  would  be  done  to  the  engine  by  applying 
the  brakes  while  it  is  coupled  is  avoided.  A  third  pedal  is 
often  fixed,  and  is  called  the  accelerator  pedal ;  when  it  is 
depressed  the  governor  of  the  engine  is  thrown  out  of  action, 
and  the  number  of  revolutions,  and  consequently  the  power 
developed  by  the  engine,  are  temporarily  increased.  In  most 
of  the  later  cars,  however,  in  which  the  throttle  on  the  steer- 
ing post  gives  a  very  great  range  of  speed  and  power  in  the 
engine,  no  accelerator  is  provided.  The  action  of  the  brake 
lever  fixed  at  the  side  of  the  car,  which  applies  powerful  band- 
brakes  to  the  hubs  of  the  rear  wheel,  also,  as  a  rule,  fixes  the 
clutch  pedal  in  a  downward  position,  so  that  when  the  brake 
lever  is  in  the  "  on  "  position,  it  is  impossible  to  start  the  car  by 
slipping  in  the  clutch  until  it  has  been  released. 

These,  then,  are  the  means  of  control  provided  on  the 
standard  petrol  car.  We  will  suppose  the  novice  to  be  about 
to  make  his  first  essay  in  actually  driving  his  car.  The  first 
thing  to  be  done  is  to  see  that  the  respective  tanks  are  filled 
with  water,  petrol,  and  lubricating  oil.  If  the  high-tension 
system  of  ignition  from  batteries  or  accumulators  is  employed, 
it  must  be  seen  that  these  are  fully  charged  and  connected. 
A  switch  will  usually  be  found  on  the  dashboard  with  three 
positions,  the  two  outside  ones  making  connection  with  one  or 
other  of  the  two  sets  of  accumulators  carried,  and  the  middle 
position  disconnecting  both.     The  driver  should  now  turn  on 


USE   AND   RUNNING    OF   A   MOTOR-CAR        215 

the  tap  which  admits  petrol  from  the  tank  to  the  carburettor, 
and  switch  on  whichever  of  the  accumulators  he  intends  to  use. 
He  should  see  that  the  side  brake  is  on  and  the  clutch  dis- 
engaged, an  additional  precaution  being  adopted  in  placing  the 
change-speed  lever  in  its  middle  or  neutral  position,  when  none 
of  the  gear  wheels  are  in  mesh.  The  throttle  should  then  be 
opened  slightly,  and  the  ignition  retarded  by  the  placing  of  the 
ignition  lever  in  its  most  backward  position  ;  this  is  necessary  in 
order  to  prevent  a  back-fire  of  the  engine  in  starting  it  and  the 
possible  dislocation  of  the  motorist's  arm  or  wrist.  Having 
done  all  these  things  and  seen  that  the  lubricators  are  fully 
charged  and  in  working  order,  he  may  proceed  to  start  his 
engine.  To  do  this  he  must  stand  in  front  of  and  facing  the 
car  with  the  starting  handle  on  his  right  hand.  Placing  his  left 
hand  on  the  curved  projecting  spring  of  the  car,  he  now  stoops 
down  and  grasps  the  starting  handle  with  the  four  fingers  of  his 
right  hand,  but  not  with  the  thumb,  that  is  to  say,  the  four 
fingers  should  be  hooked  underneath  the  handle,  the  thumb 
lying  loosely  along  it,  and  not  grasping  it  as  instinct  would 
suggest.  The  starting  handle  is  so  fixed  that  it  has  to  be 
pressed  slightly  in  on  the  shaft  before  it  engages,  a  light  spring 
being  fitted  to  throw  it  normally  out  of  engagement  ;  thus 
pressing  it  in  and  pulling  it  up  towards  him,  he  will  feel  the 
weight  of  the  engine  and  compression  pulling  against  him.  He 
should  then  give  a  steady  pull  in  order  to  get  the  handle  up 
over  the  dead  centre  in  its  top  position.  If  the  engine  is  a  very 
perfect  one  this  one  pull  will  be  enough  to  start  it,  but  more 
likely  it  will  need  several  rapid  turns  of  the  handle  in  order 
to  bring  about  the  necessary  induction  and  compression  in  the 
cylinders.  In  making  these  turns,  the  motorist,  if  he  desires  to 
avoid  the  bogey  of  petrol  engines — the  back-fire, — will  hold  his 
hand  in  the  way  I  have  described,  and  will  exert  force  only 
in  pulling  up  the  handle  and  not  in  pushing  it  down.  It  will  be 
necessary,  of  course,  to  exert  sufficient  force  in  pulling  it  up  to 
carry  it  round  the  rest  of  the  way  with  the  hand  loosely 
engaged.  In  this  way,  even  if  a  back-fire  occurs,  no  injury  can 
be  inflicted  on  the  arm.  or  wrist,  as  the  crooked  fingers  will 
simply  be  straightened  out  as  the  handle  violently  pulls  itself 
away  from  them. 

It  may  be,  however,  that  the  handle  will   be  turned   for  a 


216  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

considerable  time  and  yet  the  engine  will  not  start.  In  this 
case  it  is  no  use  to  go  on  working  oneself  into  a  heat  at  the 
handle,  and  it  is  better  to  look  round  and  see  whether  some- 
thing has  not  been  overlooked.  A  common  cause  of  trouble 
in  starting,  even  with  the  most  experienced  drivers,  is  that 
the  petrol  supply  has  not  been  turned  on  ;  and  this  is  easily 
remedied.  In  case  of  failure  to  start  it  is  the  first  thing  to  be 
looked  for.  The  next  thing  is  to  see  that  the  batteries  have 
been  switched  on  and  that  the  ignition  lever  is  in  the  right 
position  ;  with  those  cars  which  have  a  glass-covered  spark  gap 
fitted  on  the  dashboard,  it  is  quite  easy  for  someone  to  see, 
while  the  starting  handle  is  being  turned,  whether  or  not  the 
sparking  is  all  right.  If  it  is,  the  fault  must  be  in  the  car- 
burettor. It  is  as  well  to  give  the  needle  of  the  float  chamber, 
which  projects  upwards  through  its  top,  a  few  light  taps  with 
the  finger  in  order  to  make  sure  that  it  has  not  been  stuck. 
If  the  petrol  supply  has  been  turned  on  too  long  before  starting 
the  engine,  it  may  be  that  the  carburettor  is  flooded  and  is 
delivering  too  rich  a  mixture  to  the  cylinders.  In  this  case  the 
petrol  tap  should  be  shut  off  and  the  starting  handle  turned 
until  the  inspiration  of  the  engine  has  used  up  the  excess  of 
petrol,  when  it  will  probably  begin  to  start.  As  soon  as  it 
has  started  care  should  be  taken  to  turn  on  the  petrol  tap 
again. 

Having  successfully  started  his  engine,  the  beginner  may 
take  his  seat  in  the  car  and  make  his  first  essay  in  driving  it, 
although  it  need  hardly  be  said  that  the  presence  of  an  ex- 
perienced motorist  in  the  seat  beside  him  is  advisable  in  the 
interests  of  safety.  The  left  foot  should  be  placed  on  the 
clutch  to  hold  it  down,  and  the  side  brakes  released,  when  the 
change-speed  lever  may  be  moved  from  the  neutral  position  to 
the  first  speed.  The  clutch  may  now  be  very  gradually  and 
gently  let  in,  and  as  the  pedal  rises  the  car  will  begin  to  move 
as  the  drive  of  the  engine  is  communicated.  The  car  will  now 
travel  forward  so  long  as  the  clutch  pedal  is  not  depressed,  but 
on  the  clutch  being  withdrawn  it  will  continue  to  travel  only 
by  its  own  momentum,  which  being  exhausted  it  will  come  to 
rest.  The  beginner  should  practise  for  some  time  starting  and 
stopping  the  car  on  the  first  speed  before  he  attempts  anything 
more.     He  should  sometimes  stop  it  with  the  pedal  brake,  and 


USE   AND   RUNNING   OF   A    MOTOR-CAR        217 

should  continue  practising  this  manoeuvre  until  he  has  become 
thoroughly  accustomed  to  the  fact  that  the  car  starts  when  he 
lets  the  clutch  in  and  stops  when  he  withdraws  it.  A  very 
little  practice  also  will  show  him  how  in  withdrawing  the  clutch 
the  movement  of  the  pedal  may  be  sharp  and  firm,  while  in 
letting  the  clutch  in  the  movement  must  be  gentle  and  gradual, 
so  that  the  weight  of  the  drive  is  not  thrown  on  the  engine  too 
suddenly. 

The  beginner  may  now  proceed  to  practise  changing  from 
one  speed  to  another,  an  evolution  which,  with  the  type  of 
change-speed  gear  still  commonly  in  use,  calls  for  a  good  deal 
of  knack  and  precision  of  movement.  The  first  step  will  be 
to  change  from  the  first  speed  to  the  second.  The  car  should 
be  set  running  on  the  first  speed  until  it  has  attained  its 
maximum  speed  ;  the  clutch  should  be  then  withdrawn  and  the 
speed  lever  moved  quietly  and  firmly  into  the  next  notch. 
There  may  be  a  momentary  resistance  if  the  gear  wheels  are 
not  exactly  in  the  position  for  meshing,  but  it  will  only  be 
momentary,  and  a  firm  movement  will  bring  the  second  speed 
into  operation.  The  car  will  now  begin  to  travel  faster,  and 
the  learner,  perhaps  a  little  excited  by  his  efforts,  must  watch 
his  steering  and  take  care  that  in  the  joy  of  the  moment  he 
does  not  drive  into  the  ditch.  As  soon  as  the  car  is  going  well 
on  the  second  speed,  he  should  change  back  on  to  the  first. 
All  that  he  has  to  do  on  a  level  road  is  to  withdraw  the  clutch, 
and  then,  as  the  speed  of  the  car  begins  to  slacken,  to  move 
back  the  speed  lever  to  the  second  notch  and  release  the  clutch 
pedal.  These  movements  must  be  practised  over  and  over 
again  until  they  are  done  smoothly,  quickly,  and  automatically. 
At  first  the  learner  will  find  himself  going  through  an  elaborate 
mental  calculation  every  time  he  changes  speed,  and  trying  to 
remember  whether  he  withdraws  the  clutch  before  or  after 
moving  the  speed  lever.  But  he  will  soon  get  into  the  habit 
of  making  the  withdrawal  of  the  clutch  automatically  to  pre- 
cede every  movement  of  his  hands  towards  the  levers,  whether 
for  the  purpose  of  changing  speed  or  applying  the  brakes. 
The  expert  motor  driver  is  able  under  certain  circumstances 
to  change  speed  without  withdrawing  the  clutch,  but  this  has 
nothing  to  do  with  the  beginner,  who  will  find  such  things  out 
for  himself  by  long  practice  on  the  road. 


218  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

A  day  or  two  spent  at  driving  the  car  backwards  and  forwards 
at  different  speeds  on  a  level  stretch  of  road  will  accustom  the 
novice  to  handling  and  controlling  it.  He  may  then  proceed  to 
practise  on  a  more  hilly  road,  where  he  will  find  that  the  act  of 
changing  speed  requires  more  judgment  and  precision  of  move- 
ment than  is  necessary  on  a  level  road,  where  he  varies  his  own 
speed  simply  in  accordance  with  his  own  wishes,  and  not  because 
of  the  gradients  of  the  road.  If,  for  example,  he  is  driving  on 
the  third  speed  and  encounters  a  steep  hill  it  may  be  necessary 
for  him  to  change  back  to  the  second  before  the  top  is  reached. 
To  do  this  he  will  have  to  choose  the  exact  moment  at  which 
the  rate  of  the  car's  travel  falls  below  that  for  which  the  third 
speed  is  calculated  and  comes  into  the  zone  covered  by  the 
second  speed.  The  exact  moment  for  the  change  can  only  be 
accurately  judged  after  a  good  deal  of  practice,  and  then  if  the 
driver  is  really  in  sympathy  with  his  car,  he  feels  rather  than 
thinks  that  the  moment  for  the  change  has  come.  A  good  rule, 
however,  for  the  beginner  is  to  change  speed  down  when  the 
engine  in  climbing  a  hill  begins  to  give  signs  of  flagging,  and  to 
change  speed  up  when,  travelling  over  a  falling  gradient,  the 
engine  begins  to  overrun  and  the  governor  to  cut  out.  In 
certain  cars,  particularly  Panhards,  the  musical  note  caused  by 
the  gear  wheels  is  itself  a  very  fair  guide  to  the  changing  of 
speed.  It  rises  and  falls  as  the  speed  of  the  car  waxes  and 
wanes  ;  if  the  note  of  any  given  speed  climbs  higher  and  higher 
in  the  scale,  the  driver  who  is  familiar  with  it  soon  learns  the 
exact  moment  at  which  a  higher  speed  can  be  put  in  ;  if  it  falls, 
the  same  instinct  tells  him  when  to  change  to  a  lower  gear.  It 
should  also  be  remembered  that  in  climbing  a  hill  the  gear  must 
be  changed  very  quickly,  and  the  clutch  withdrawn  for  as  short 
a  time  as  possible,  otherwise  the  car  will  lose  momentum  so 
rapidly  that  it  will  be  travelling  too  slowly  to  take  the  second 
speed,  and  the  first  speed  will  have  to  be  used.  There  is 
danger,  also,  that  if  time  is  lost  and  the  clutch  let  in  too 
suddenly  the  engine  may  be  stopped — when  the  car  will,  unless 
the  brakes  are  quickly  and  powerfully  applied,  begin  to  run 
backward.  As  this  is  a  very  awkward  occurrence  and  may  be 
fraught  with  extreme  disaster,  it  is  a  golden  rule  for  the  novice 
in  climbing  a  steep  hill  to  hug  the  near  side  of  the  road.  Then, 
if  anything  happens,  and  the  car  begins  to  move  backwards,  it 


USE   AND   RUNNING   OF   A   MOTOR-CAR        219 

can  be  quickly  turned  into  the  side  of  the  road  before  it  has 
gained  much  speed,  and  a  collision  with  a  bank,  ditch,  or  wall 
will  be  nothing  at  all  compared  with  the  possibilities  of  a  fatal 
accident  involved  in  the  car  running  backwards  far  down  the 
hill.  It  need  hardly  be  said  that  if  the  near  side  of  the  road 
consists  of  an  embankment  or  precipice  this  method  of  dealing 
with  an  emergency  is  not  advocated.  In  this  case  the  other 
side  of  the  road  may  provide  a  buffer ;  if  not,  and  if  the  car  is 
running  backwards  and  gathering  speed,  the  driver  must  try  to 
effect  a  collision  with  some  obstruction.  If  the  car  has  not 
gained  an  appreciable  speed  the  results  will  not  be  serious ;  and 
in  any  case,  in  the  rare  circumstance  under  consideration,  it  is 
better  in  the  first  twenty  yards  to  collide  with  something  than 
with  nothing. 

When  the  driver  has  taught  himself  to  be  fairly  at  home  with 
the  change-speed  mechanism,  and  is  able  to  throw  different  sets 
of  gear  wheels  into  mesh  without  any  jarring  noises  or  delay,  he 
may  begin  to  make  little  journeys  on  the  car.  I  strongly  advise 
that  at  least  for  the  first  week  the  top  speed  of  the  car  should 
not  be  used,  and  at  any  rate  that  no  speed  higher  than  twenty 
miles  an  hour  should  be  attempted  until  the  driver  is  thoroughly 
familiar  with  the  manipulation  of  the  car  at  low  speeds.  When 
the  change-speed  mechanism  has  been  mastered,  the  accelerator, 
throttle,  and  ignition  levers  should  be  studied  and  the  proper 
use  of  them  added  to  the  beginner's  repertoire.  The  accelerator 
on  the  Panhard  type  of  car  is  a  device  which  can  be  and  com- 
monly is  much  abused.  I  have  seen  men  driving  with  the 
accelerator  pedal  almost  constantly  down ;  needless  to  say  such 
men  do  not  get  long  life  or  the  most  trustworthy  service  out  of 
their  cars.  The  accelerator  pedal,  however,  has  its  uses,  notably 
in  changing  to  a  higher  speed,  when  a  touch  of  it  just  before 
withdrawing  the  clutch  gives  an  increased  momentum  which 
easily  carries  the  car  on  to  the  next  speed.  It  is  useful,  also, 
where  a  sudden  change  has  not  been  perhaps  very  skilfully 
made  and  the  engine  threatens  to  be  slowed  down  ;  the  extra 
gas  thus  given  to  it  helps  to  preserve  a  steady  pace.  But  there 
is  no  vice  in  driving  equal  to  that  of  racing  the  engine  on  every 
possible  occasion,  and  in  the  long  run  it  means  trouble  and 
expense. 

The  ignition  and  throttle  levers  form  a  very  important  part 


220  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

of  the  controlling  mechanism  of  the  ordinary  petrol  car.  By 
the  proper  manipulation  of  the  ignition  lever  only  can  the 
engine  be  kept  running  smoothly  and  steadily  at  all  speeds, 
and  a  proper  economy  of  power  effected.  With  a  small  volume 
of  gas,  and  when  running  at  low  speeds,  the  ignition  should 
be  kept  well  retarded,  and  thus  the  greatest  possible  driving 
impulse  will  be  extracted  from  each  separate  charge  of  gas, 
which,  when  it  is  small  in  volume,  is  compressed  a  little  later  in 
the  stroke.  The  ideal  conditions  of  ignition  are  that  the  charge 
shall  be  exploded  at  the  exact  moment  when  it  has  reached  its 
highest  stage  of  compression,  and  this  is  effected  by  making  the 
ignition  late  for  low  speeds  and  early  for  high  speeds.  As 
the  car  gathers  speed,  therefore,  and  in  proportion  as  more  gas 
is  admitted  to  the  cylinders,  ignition  should  be  gradually 
advanced.  If  a  knocking  noise  is  heard  in  the  cylinders  and 
there  is  no  suspicion  of  overheating,  the  case  is  almost  sure 
to  be  that  the  ignition  has  been  too  far  advanced  for  the  rate 
of  speed.  It  is  better  at  first  to  err  on  the  side  of  keeping  the 
ignition  somewhat  back  ;  no  damage  can  then  be  done,  and 
the  only  result  will  be  that  the  explosive  charges  will  not  then 
develop  their  full  driving  power.  If  the  ignition  is  too  far 
retarded,  however,  when  the  car  is  travelling  fast,  it  is  probable 
that  all  the  charges  induced  and  compressed  in  the  cylinders 
will  not  be  ignited,  and  will  explode  in  the  silencer  with  a  some- 
what alarming  noise,  which,  although  it  does  no  damage,  is 
exceedingly  disagreeable  and  means  that  the  gas  is  being 
wasted. 

The  throttle  has  recently  taken  a  much  more  important  place 
in  the  driving  of  petrol  cars  than  it  used  to  take.  The  accepted 
modern  practice  is  virtually  to  drive  cars  on  the  throttle  and  to 
vary  the  speed,  not  by  a  constant  changing  of  gear,  but  by 
regulating  the  amount  of  gas  furnished  to  the  cylinders.  By 
this  means  something  of  the  flexibility  of  the  steam  engine  is 
attained,  and  it  is  possible  to  drive  many  cars  practically  all  day 
on  the  third  speed,  regulating  their  rate  of  travel  merely  by 
throttling  the  gas  and,  therefore,  by  regulating  the  speed  and 
power  of  the  engine.  In  such  cases  the  lower  speeds  need  only 
be  used  in  starting  and  in  climbing  unusually  steep  hills.  Like 
everything  else  in  motor  driving,  the  proper  use  of  the  throttle 
is  only  learned  by  experience,  as  it  is  important  not  to  overtax 


USE   AND   RUNNING   OF   A   MOTOR-CAR        221 

the  engine  by  making  it  do  certain  work  at  very  low  speeds  on 
a  high  gear,  which  ought  really  to  be  done  at  higher  speeds  on  a 
different  gear. 

A  careful  study  and  practice  of  these  matters  should  in  a 
very  short  time  enable  the  beginner  to  steer  and  drive  a  motor- 
car with  safety  and  confidence — so  long  as  the  engine  performs  its 
w^ork  properly.  But  the  moment  anything  goes  wrong  and  the 
engine  stops,  all  the  skill  in  driving  in  the  world  becomes 
useless  unless  the  driver  is  able  to  diagnose  the  fault  and  remedy 
it.  The  little  accidents  and  interruptions  that  may  happen 
to  a  motor-car  are  legion  ;  but  those  that  ought  to  happen  to 
a  car  that  is  carefully  kept  and  properly  looked  over  before  each 
day's  journey  are  very  few  indeed.  Nevertheless,  the  driver  who 
wishes  to  make  his  journeys  with  an  easy  mind  and  with  a 
reasonable  confidence  that  he  will  arrive  at  the  end  of  the  day's 
run  at  a  given  time  must  be  able,  not  only  to  find  out  the 
cause  of  any  defects  that  may  arise,  but  also  to  remedy  them 
promptly.  And  it  cannot  too  often  be  repeated  that  most 
of  the  little  ailments  to  which  petrol  motors  are  subject  can  be 
prevented  by  forethought ;  and  when  they  do  arise,  are  generally 
found  to  be  traceable  to  something  forgotten  or  neglected.  A 
good  petrol  engine  carefully  looked  after  will  run  all  day,  day 
after  day  and  month  after  month,  without  ever  breaking  down 
on  the  road. 

Overheating  is  a  danger  against  which  the  beginner  must  be 
constantly  on  his  guard,  as  the  overheating  of  the  engine  may 
be  caused  in  a  variety  of  ways,  and  always  results  in  damage 
which  it  is  an  expensive  matter  to  put  right.  The  simplest 
cause  of  overheating  is  for  the  circulating  pump  to  have  broken 
down  or  to  have  become  clogged  by  the  presence  of  some 
foreign  bodies  in  the  cooling  water.  As  all  cars  which  are 
water-cooled  ought  to  be  fitted  with  an  indicator  on  the  dash- 
board showing  whether  the  water  is  circulating  or  not,  the  first 
fault  ought  never  to  develop  far  enough  to  do  serious  damage 
before  it  is  noticed  ;  the  remedy  is,  of  course,  to  repair  the  pump, 
or  (failing  that)  to  travel  to  the  nearest  stopping-place  in  short 
bursts  of  five  minutes'  running  at  a  time,  with  intervals  of 
twenty  minutes  waiting  while  the  engine  cools.  Particles  of 
grit  or  dirt  should  never  get  into  the  water  system  if  a  strainer 
is  used   when   the  tanks  are  being  filled.      If  the  pump  gets 


222  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

choked  or  clogged,  it  must  be  taken  out,  cleaned,  and  repacked. 
Overheating  can  generally  be  detected  by  the  smell  of  burnt 
paint  and  oil  which  rises  from  the  cylinders,  and  also  by  a 
knocking  noise  which  is  heard  in  them.  In  addition  to  the 
stoppage  of  circulation  in  the  water-pipes,  overheating  may  be 
caused  by  a  leak  in  these  pipes,  so  that  the  water  has  all  run 
out  on  to  the  road,  or  it  may  be  due  to  an  air-lock.  In  the 
first  case  the  leak  can  often  be  temporarily  stopped  by  a  piece 
of  rubber  piping  placed  over  it ;  in  the  second  case  the  drain 
tap  of  the  water  system  must  be  opened  and  the  water  all 
drained  away,  new  water  at  the  same  time  being  poured  in 
until  the  cold  supply  is  flowing  out  of  the  drain-cock  without 
interruption. 

An  equally  common  cause  of  overheating  is  improper  lubri- 
cation. On  the  dashboard  an  automatic  lubricator  is  usually 
fitted  from  which  oil  is  driven  into  the  cylinders  either  by  a 
small  pump  driven  mechanically  by  a  belt,  or  by  air  pressure 
obtained  from  the  exhaust  pipe.  In  either  case  a  sight  feed 
is  provided,  and  the  driver  must  now  and  then  look  to  see  that 
the  oil  is  dropping  at  the  proper  rate  for  efficient  lubrication. 
If  there  is  too  much  oil  it  will  become  carbonised  in  the 
cylinders,  the  exhaust  valves  will  get  choked  up,  and  there  will 
be  a  considerable  loss  of  power.  If  there  is  too  little  oil  the 
engine  will  overheat.  The  lower  part  of  the  crank  case  in  a 
vertical  petrol  motor  is  designed  to  contain  a  certain  amount 
of  oil,  into  which  the  cranks  dip  at  each  revolution.  This  must 
be  filled  to  the  proper  height  with  good  lubricating  oil,  the 
exact  amount  varying  from  half  a  pint  to  a  pint  and  a  half, 
according  to  the  size  of  the  engine.  If  by  any  accident  or 
negligence  the  drain  taps  at  the  bottom  of  the  crank  chamber 
should  have  been  left  open,  the  oil  will,  of  course,  drain  away, 
and  the  big-ends  will  seize.  Another  cause  of  overheating — 
but  it  is  more  common  with  air-cooled  than  with  water-cooled 
engines — is  the  use  of  too  generous  a  throttle,  by  means  of 
which  more  heat  is  generated  by  the  explosions  of  the  gas  than 
can  be  absorbed  by  the  cooling  system.  In  all  cases  where 
overheating  is  suspected  the  compression  taps  at  the  top  of  the 
cylinders  should  be  opened  and  a  charge  of  paraffin  oil  injected 
by  means  of  a  small  pump ;  and  the  engine  should  be  allowed 
to  stand  until  it  is  thoroughly  cool. 


USE   AND    RUNNING   OF   A   MOTOR-CAR        223 

Next  to  overheating,  the  carburettor  is,  on  many  cars,  the 
greatest  cause  of  anxiety.  The  engine  may  run  spasmodically, 
now  "  pulling  "  with  life  and  strength,  at  other  times  dropping 
to  a  very  feeble  impulse.  This  generally  means  that  the  supply 
of  gas  is  being  delivered  to  it  intermittently,  and  the  fault  is 
more  often  than  not  in  the  carburettor.  Sometimes  a  speck 
of  dirt  may  have  got  in  with  the  petrol  and  lodged  in  the 
nozzle  of  the  spray ;  this  ought  to  be  impossible  if  proper  care 
is  taken  to  fill  the  petrol  tank  only  through  a  strainer  of  very 
fine  wire  gauze.  Or  the  float  in  the  float  chamber  may  have 
got  jammed  by  the  spindle  attached  to  it  having  become  bent, 
in  which  case  it  must  be  freed  until  it  works  easily  and  sensi- 
tively. Or  perhaps  the  float  itself,  if  of  cork,  has  become 
sodden,  or,  if  of  metal,  has  sprung  a  leak.  In  the  first  case 
a  new  float  must  be  fitted,  in  the  second  the  hole  must  be  found, 
the  petrol  emptied  out  of  the  float,  and  the  leak  stopped  up 
again.  Or  the  cause  of  a  stoppage  may  be  in  the  ignition  ;  the 
accumulators  may  have  run  down,  or  the  wires,  being  insuffi- 
ciently insulated,  may  have  caused  a  short  circuit.  Some  of 
the  terminals  may  have  become  connected  by  means  of  dirt 
or  water,  or  the  contacts  may  not  be  clean,  or  may  be  insuffi- 
ciently screwed  down.  All  such  faults  as  these  will  in  time 
occur,  certainly  to  the  careless,  and  probably  even  to  the  most 
careful  and  lucky  motorists.  They  each  contain  their  lesson, 
and  it  is  nearly  always  the  same  :  see  that  things  are  thoroughly 
in  order  before  you  start  if  you  wish  to  avoid  trouble  on  the 
road,  and  let  the  novice  remember  that  the  most  probable  causes 
of  all  stoppages  are  generally  the  simplest ;  that  the  most  com- 
mon reason  why  the  engine  will  not  start  is  that  the  petrol 
tap  has  not  been  opened,  and  that  the  most  common  fault  of 
ignition  is  that  the  current  has  not  been  switched  on. 

To  run  a  motor-car  successfully  throughout  a  long  journey 
needs  no  less  forethought  and  much  more  experience  than  are 
needed  for  short  runs.  Before  starting  for  a  long  tour  a  list  of 
things  to  be  carried  on  the  car  should  be  carefully  made  out. 
If  the  tyres  are  in  good  condition  it  will  be  enough  to  carry  one 
spare  cover  and  two  inner  tubes,  and  the  repairing  outfit  should 
be  looked  to  to  see  that  it  is  complete  and  in  proper  condition. 
An  assortment  of  nuts  and  bolts  of  the  various  sizes  used  in  the 
engine  should  also  be  carried,  as  well  as  four  sparking  plugs  and 


224  THE   COMPLETE    MOTORIST 

a  complete  set  of  valves  and  valve  springs.  I  say  a  complete 
set  of  vah'es  because,  although  there  should  be  no  trouble  at  all 
with  the  valves,  anything  which  does  happen — overheating  or 
incrustation,  for  example — will  be  more  likely  to  affect  all  the 
cylinders  than  only  one.  A  set  of  brasses  and  a  supply  of  insu- 
lated wire  are  useful  "  spares."  Spanners  to  fit  all  the  nuts 
should,  of  course,  form  part  of  the  regular  equipment  of  a  car, 
as  well  as  a  Stillson's  wrench  and  a  monkey  wrench.  A  small 
table-vice  is  a  very  useful  thing  to  carry,  and  does  not  take  up 
much  room  ;  there  should  also  be  files,  punches,  a  hammer, 
screwdrivers,  a  cold  chisel,  gas  pliers,  and  a  soldering  outfit.  A 
good  roll  of  copper  and  steel  wire,  a  little  copper  piping, 
asbestos  washers,  a  length  of  asbestos  cord,  and  a  couple  of 
yards  of  india-rubber  tubing  of  the  same  gauge  as  the  pipes  of 
the  water  system,  must  also  be  carried.  These  things  will  not 
take  up  very  much  room,  and  as  most  of  them  will  not  be 
wanted  at  all,  they  can  be  stowed  well  out  of  the  way.  A  tin 
of  paraffin  should  be  carried  with  the  lubricating  oils,  and  a 
small  reserve  of  carbide  and  wicks  for  the  lamps  should  also  be 
carried.  These  supplies  should  all  be  assembled  together  a  day 
or  two  before  the  beginning  of  the  journey,  and  arranged  on  the 
bench  or  floor  of  the  motor-house,  all  the  contents  of  the  car 
being  also  taken  out  for  inspection  and,  if  necessary,  replace- 
ment. They  can  then  be  checked  off  with  the  list  and  carefully 
packed  away. 

It  is  always  a  good  plan  to  start  on  a  journey  early  in  the 
morning ;  why,  I  could  not  exactly  say,  except  that  it  adds 
greatly  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  traveller ;  and  besides,  there  is 
a  proper  time  for  all  things,  and  the  morning  is  the  time  to  set 
forth  on  journeys.  When  everything  is  ready  for  the  start  the 
motorist  should  take  a  last  look  over  his  machine,  making  sure 
that  all  water  tanks,  petrol  tanks,  and  grease  cups  are  full.  In 
very  cold  weather,  and  especially  if  the  car  is  likely  to  be  left 
standing  for  any  time,  20  per  cent,  of  pure  glycerine  should  be 
added  to  the  water  in  the  cooling  system  ;  this  will  effectually 
prevent  it  from  freezing.  But  this,  of  course,  is  only  a  winter 
precaution.  It  is  well,  however  large  the  petrol  tanks  may  be, 
to  carry  one  spare  tin  of  petrol,  which  should  be  kept  as  a 
reserve,  and,  if  it  is  used  at  all,  replaced  at  the  first  opportunity. 
Attention  to  this  detail  will  mean  that  the  motorist  can  never 


USE   AND   RUNNING   OF   A   MOTOR-CAR        225 

be  stranded  ten  miles  from  anywhere  for  want  of  petrol,  but  will 
always  have  enough  to  take  him  into  some  town  or  village  where 
at  least  shelter  will  be  procurable.  When  the  engine  is  started 
it  is  well  to  let  it  run  for  a  few  minutes  and  to  watch  the  work- 
ing of  the  valve  gear,  pumps,  lubricators,  etc.,  to  see  if  every- 
thing is  in  order,  and,  if  necessary,  to  adjust  the  sight  feeds  of 
the  drip  lubricators.  Then,  and  not  till  then,  the  motorist  may 
mount  to  his  place,  release  the  brake,  and  move  off.  Even  then 
the  first  few  miles  should  always  be  devoted  to  seeing  that  the 
car  is  running  properly,  that  all  the  control  mechanism  is  in 
order,  and,  above  all,  that  the  brakes  are  working.  This  should 
always  be  the  first  thing  to  be  tested  on  starting  for  a  drive ; 
and  it  will  soon  become  a  matter  of  habit  if,  on  passing  some 
point  close  to  his  own  house  or  in  his  own  grounds — some  point 
that  he  always  passes  when  he  is  starting  out — the  motorist 
makes  it  a  rule  to  put  down  his  clutch  pedal  and  apply  both 
brakes  in  turn.  He  will  then  be  sure  that  they  are  in  good 
condition  and  ready  for  the  emergency  in  which  that  condition 
may  be  all-important. 

There  is  no  royal  road  to  safety  and  immunity  from  accidents 
in  motor-cars.  Unceasing  watchfulness  is  the  only  possible 
protection  ;  and  even  this  is  useless  unless  it  is  allied  with  fore- 
thought, common-sense,  and  a  decent  unselfishness.  It  is  per- 
fectly safe  for  a  competent  driver  to  travel  at  very  high  speeds 
along  many  country  roads  even  in  England  ;  only,  however, 
because  of  the  immense  control  which  can  be  exercised  over  a 
good  motor-car,  and  because  it  is  possible  in  a  few  seconds  to 
reduce  a  speed  of  fifty  miles  an  hour  to  eight  or  ten,  and  to  stop 
dead  if  necessary  in  a  few  yards.  But  it  should  hardly  ever  be 
necessary  to  stop  dead,  because  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  the 
driver's  reason  for  doing  so  is  that  he  has  been  taking  a  risk 
which  he  ought  not  to  have  taken  and  has  been  presuming  on  a 
state  of  affairs  which  did  not  exist.  In  driving  at  any  speed 
other  than  a  mere  crawl  the  driver's  eyes  should  be  on  the  road 
in  front  of  him  and  not  on  the  front  wheels  of  the  car.  The 
distance  that  he  can  see  the  road  in  front  of  him,  as  well  as  the 
condition  of  the  traffic  on  the  road,  determines  the  speed  at 
which  he  may  safely  travel.  It  is  astonishing  how  quickly  one's 
powers  of  observation,  within  the  limited  range  necessary  for 
the  purpose,  are  developed  by  driving  a  motor-car.  Every 
Q 


226  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

motorist  knows  what  it  is  to  be  accompanied  by  a  somewhat 
nervous  companion  who  insists  on  telHng  you  of  things  that  are 
in  the  way,  which  he  fancies  you  may  not  have  seen.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  you  have  seen  them,  mentally  dealt  with  them, 
and  put  them  out  of  your  mind  again,  before  the  nervous 
passenger,  for  all  that  his  eyes  are  strained  on  the  road,  has 
even  noticed  their  presence.  A  cow  is  grazing  fifty  yards  in 
front  of  you,  a  dog  is  stretching  himself  in  the  sun  twenty  yards 
in  front  of  that,  and  a  hen  preparing  to  step  across  the  road 
thirty  yards  away.  Almost  unconsciously  the  expert  driver 
goes  through  a  practically  instantaneous  mental  process  with 
regard  to  each  of  these  objects.  He  decides  that  the  cow 
means  to  stay  where  she  is,  but  he  has  considered  the  possi- 
bility of  her  moving  into  the  road,  and  has  decided,  still  sub- 
consciously, how  he  will  act  if  she  does.  The  dog  and  the  hen 
are  each  subjected  to  a  similar  double  process,  one  of  which  is 
concerned  with  probabilities,  and  the  other  with  possibilities. 
So  that  long  before  he  has  reached  them  the  driver  knows  what 
each  will  probably  do,  and  has  also  instantaneously  thought  out 
all  the  other  things  which  they  may  possibly  do,  and  the  various 
means  which  he  would  adopt  to  deal  with  such  emergencies. 
And  long  before  he  has  passed  the  cow,  and  the  dog  and  the 
hen,  his  eyes  have  noticed  a  hundred  other  conditions  and 
things  beyond  them. 

Apply  this  to  every  inch  and  yard  of  road  covered  in  a  day's 
journey  of  200  miles ;  add  to  it  the  observation  of  a  great  deal 
of  scenery  on  a  large  scale,  and  you  have  an  idea  of  the  mental 
quickening  and  fine  consonant  training  of  eye  and  brain  and 
hand  that  comes  from  driving  a  motor-car.  Put  the  average 
speed  up  to  sixty  miles  an  hour  and  double  the  distance,  and 
you  have  some  idea  of  the  splendid  mental  feat  accomplished 
by  a  driver  in  a  race  such  as  the  Paris-Vienna,  or  the  Paris- 
Bordeaux.  People  speak  of  these  contests  as  great  trials  of 
physical  endurance  ;  but  it  is  really  mental  endurance  of  which 
they  are  the  test,  and  it  is  through  the  mind  that  the  body  is 
exhausted  in  them. 

For  my  part  I  should  be  sorry  to  drive  all  day  long  at  such  a 
speed  that  my  eyes  must  be  constantly  fixed  upon  the  road  ; 
and  the  wise  motorist,  when  he  is  going  on  tour,  will  not  plan  a 
day's  journey  of  more  than  a  hundred  or  a  hundred  and  fifty 


USE   AND   RUNNING   OF   A   MOTOR-CAR        227 

miles,  so  that  he  may  give  himself  time  to  see  and  enjoy  some- 
thing of  the  country  through  which  he  is  to  run.  But  when 
travelling  at  a  high  speed  you  must  never  be  sure  that  the  road 
is  clear  because  there  is  nothing  on  it.  The  only  absolutely  safe 
road  is  that  over  a  common,  down,  or  moor,  where  the  ground 
is  flat  on  both  sides  of  the  road,  and  where  all  approaches  to  it 
are  clearly  visible.  Where  there  are  hedges  things  may  come 
out  from  behind  them ;  where  there  are  side  roads,  sleepy  cart- 
horses may  be  drawing  sleepy  carters  in  slow,  heavy  carts  that 
are  rumbling  towards  you  and  disaster.  And  you  must  never 
trust  a  horse.  Man  behind  a  horse  is  almost  helpless  ;  and 
though  on  catching  sight  of  a  motor-car  he  often  does  his  best 
by  his  startled  jerk  at  the  reins  to  frighten  the  horse  at  your 
approach,  it  is  only  by  the  grace  of  the  quadruped  that  he  gets 
past  you  in  safety.  If  the  horse  chooses  to  stand  on  end,  to 
shy  or  to  back  when  you  are  about  to  go  past  him,  nothing  that 
the  occupant  of  the  trap  can  do  will  modify  or  prevent  his 
deadly  purpose. 

Side-slip,  in  spite  of  the  various  devices  for  its  prevention 
that  have  been  applied  to  pneumatic  tyres,  remains  the  chief 
anxiety  and  danger  of  motor  driving.  The  tendency  in  a 
vehicle  that  is  driven  by  means  of  its  rear  wheels,  or  is  running 
down  a  hill  by  gravity,  is  for  the  rear  (and  heavier)  part  to  try 
to  overtake  the  front  part.  If  the  car  is  kept  running  in  a 
geometrically  straight  line  on  a  geometrically  level  road  this 
tendency  is  frustrated,  and  side-slip  becomes  impossible.  But 
at  the  moment  when,  because  of  a  deflection  of  the  steering 
gear  or  a  slope  in  the  surface  of  the  road,  the  front  and  rear 
wheels  cease  to  be  on  the  same  plane,  it  becomes  possible  for 
the  rear  part  of  the  car  to  swing  round  sideways,  provided  the 
surface  of  the  road  is  smooth  and  greasy  enough  to  permit 
of  lateral  movement  of  the  wheels  upon  it.  The  result  is  that 
if  the  car  is  travelling  at  any  speed  its  direction  is  uncontrollable 
by  the  driver,  and  it  swings  right  round  and  moves  bodily 
sideways.  This  is  a  very  alarming  and  dangerous  occurrence ; 
and  although  if  the  car  is  not  travelling  too  fast  skilful  steering 
will  check  the  lateral  movement  before  it  has  gone  too  far,  there 
is  always  a  risk  that  some  accident  in  the  surface  of  the  road  or 
in  the  disposition  of  the  surrounding  traffic  may  cause  catas- 
trophe.    The  worst  conditions  for  side-slip  are  found  on  hard 


228  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

asphalt  pavement  after  a  slight  shower  of  rain,  or  after  heavy 
rain  when  the  surface  of  the  road  has  become  partially  dried. 
A  greasy  film  then  covers  the  road  and  coats  the  tyre,  and 
between  the  two  greasy  surfaces  thus  formed  there  is  no  possi- 
bility of  grip  or  bite.  Wood  pavement  under  the  same  con- 
ditions is  almost  equally  bad  ;  and  after  it,  in  the  order  of  danger, 
come  ice  and  chalk  roads. 

There  is  nothing  to  be  done  when  these  conditions  are 
encountered  but  to  drive  very  slowly  and  steer  very  cautiously, 
as  a  sudden  deflection  of  the  steering  or  application  of  the 
brakes  will  almost  certainly  cause  a  side-slip.  If  this  should 
occur,  the  clutch  should  at  once  be  withdrawn  and  the  steering 
wheel  firmly  and  sharply  manipulated  so  as  to  correct  the 
lateral  movement ;  but  if  (as  so  often  happens  with  cars  with 
a  short  wheel  base  and  high  centre  of  gravity)  the  lateral  move- 
ment continues,  it  is  better  to  let  the  car  swing  right  round 
on  the  front  wheels  as  on  a  pivot,  as  the  car  can  by  that 
means  be  more  or  less  kept  in  one  part  of  the  road.  Cars 
which  have  a  long  wheel  base  are  much  more  easily  controlled 
when  they  threaten  to  side-slip,  as  the  movement  is  felt  long 
before  it  has  become  excessive.  Perhaps  the  best  way  to  learn 
how  to  avoid  side-slip  is  to  learn  to  side-slip  properly — that 
is,  if  an  empty  greasy  road  can  be  found  and  the  services  of 
some  competent  motorist  who  has  done  it  before  secured.  It 
is  possible  for  expert  drivers  to  turn  their  cars  either  half  round 
or  completely  round  under  these  conditions  with  perfect  safety 
and  to  arrest  the  turning  movement  at  any  point  that  may  be 
desired.  But  as  I  have  said,  the  best  use  of  these  somewhat 
heroic  studies  will  be  to  teach  the  motorist  how  to  avoid  side- 
slip. It  is  a  matter  that  requires  constant  watching,  for  on 
a  long  day's  journey  one  may  encounter  many  conditions 
of  weather  and  many  kinds  of  road  surface ;  and  there  are 
many  places  in  Derbyshire,  for  example,  where  one  may  be 
running  on  a  hard  dry  road  one  minute,  and  the  next,  on 
running  beneath  the  shade  of  heavy  trees,  find  oneself  amid  the 
very  worst  conditions  of  greasy  and  chalky  surface.  As  in  so 
many  other  matters  connected  with  motoring,  the  most  watchful 
and  careful  driving  is  the  only  safeguard. 

I  am  almost  ashamed  to  have  to  add  to  this  chapter  a  plea 
for  common  decency  and  humanity ;  and  yet  no  one  who  uses 


USE   AND   RUNNING   OF   A   MOTOR-CAR        229 

the  roads,  whether  with  horse,  bicycle,  motor-car,  or  on  foot, 
can  pretend  that  it  is  not  necessary,  and  that  it  has  not  been 
left  to  the  motor-car  to  evolve  the  most  blatant,  the  most  cruel, 
the  most  revolting  kind  of  selfishness  that  has  probably  ever 
been  allowed  to  go  unpunished.  The  motoring  cad  is  the  real 
enemy  of  motoring.  It  is  not  the  nervous  old  lady  or  the  testy 
old  gentleman,  it  is  not  the  small  farmer  or  the  conservative 
squire,  who  are  responsible  for  our  motor  laws  and  for  the 
enmity  of  the  police.  It  is  the  motorist  himself,  the  man  who 
frightens  the  timid  old  lady,  annoys  the  testy  old  gentleman, 
infuriates  the  farmer  and  squire  alike.  No  advice  that  I  can 
give  will  abate  the  nuisance  of  these  people ;  it  is  their  nature 
to  be  offensive,  and  unhappily  the  motor-car  endows  them  with 
almost  unlimited  opportunities  of  indulging  themselves.  But 
there  are  others  in  whom  mere  thoughtlessness  and  perhaps  a 
little  of  the  intoxication  that,  in  some  people,  springs  from  the 
control  of  power  and  speed,  have  bred  a  disregard  for  other 
people  that  is  only  less  unpleasant  than  the  ways  of  the  motor 
hooligan.  To  such  people  I  would  repeat  what  has  been  so 
often  urged  in  other  places :  remember  that  you  are  not  the 
only  users  of  the  ro^d  ;  remember  that  you  did  not  always  own 
a  motor-car ;  remember  that  you  were  once,  perhaps,  capable 
of  enjoying  a  quiet  walk  on  a  country  road  ;  and  that  on  those 
occasions  what  made  you  happy  was  the  quietness  and  peace- 
fulness  of  the  country,  the  smell  of  the  flowers,  the  song  of  the 
birds.  Remember  that  if  you  whoop  through  a  village  at 
thirty  miles  an  hour  some  Sunday  morning  in  the  summer  time 
and  meet  a  crowd  of  decent  villagers  going  to  church,  the 
clouds  of  dust  that  you  raise  may  spoil  their  Sunday  clothes, 
fill  their  mouths  with  grit  and  their  hearts  with  bitterness. 
And  remember  that  it  is  open  to  you,  if  you  have  neither  con- 
sideration nor  conscience,  to  leave  behind  you  as  you  go  a  trail 
of  dislike  and  anger,  a  track  of  unpleasant  thoughts  and  scowl- 
ing faces,  little  monuments  of  discontent  that  shall  mark  your 
way  like  milestones.  And  above  all — I  am  ashamed  to  have 
to  say  it — have  mercy  upon  timid  women,  dogs,  and  little 
children.  If  you  have  no  imagination  you  will  have  no  idea 
of  the  horrors  of  apprehension  suffered  by  many  a  woman 
alone  in  a  pony  trap  who  sees  your  approach  and  does  not 
know  whether  you  mean  to  stop  or  not ;   but  take  my  word  for 


230  THE   COMPLETE    MOTORIST 

it.  If  she  makes  a  sign,  hold  up  your  hand  to  show  that  you 
have  seen  it  and  go  past  her  (it  may  not  be  necessary  to  stop) 
as  quietly  as  possible.  The  only  thing  you  need  have  little 
mercy  on  is  the  unattended  horse  dozing  in  the  empty  village 
street.  Frighten  him,  if  you  like,  and  chivy  him  far  away  from 
the  place  of  inattention  ;  he  is  a  scourge  and  a  danger  ;  but  he 
will  take  good  care  not  to  hurt  himself.  And  people  who  have 
to  pay  for  many  sets  of  broken  harness  will  soon  learn  not  to 
leave  their  horses  unattended. 

If  you  are  threatened  by  a  dog,  go  slowly ;  he  may  be  a 
senseless,  ill-conditioned,  barking  cur,  but  he  has  a  right  to  his 
life ;  and  besides,  you  may  be  seriously  hurt  yourself  if  you 
run  over  him.  But  even  upon  the  little  dog  have  some  mercy  ; 
for  if  you  are  a  person  of  any  decency  and  humanity,  that 
cannot  be  a  happy  or  successful  day's  journey  for  you  upon 
which  you  have  killed  a  dog.  And  as  for  children,  remember 
that  their  minds  work  in  ways  that  we  know  not,  that  our  dull 
senses  are  no  guide  to  their  actions,  and  that  if  it  seems  good 
to  them  to  play  at  "  last  across,"  you  had  better  go  very 
gingerly  in  their  neighbourhood.  In  a  little  while  a  new 
generation  of  children  will  grow  up,  wary  of  motor-cars,  and 
trained,  poor  mites,  in  the  taking  of  cover ;  but  in  the  mean- 
time remember  that  the  bit  of  village  street  through  which  you 
flash  on  your  hundred-mile  journey  is  their  life,  and  contains 
for  them  all  the  sunshine,  all  the  dangers,  all  the  pleasures 
and  toils  of  life. 


CHAPTER   X 
THE    CARE    OF    A    MOTOR-CAR 

The  ill-attended  car — Caring  for  machinery — Good  and  bad  servants — Being  one's 
own  mechanic— The  rewards  of  labour — Expert  instruction — The  essentials  of  a 
motor-house — Occupation  for  a  wet  day — The  ideal  motor-house — -The  motor- 
pit —  Drainage — Mechanic's  bench — The  keeping  of  spare  parts — Storing  petrol 
— Hot  weather — Proper  condition  of  a  motor-car — The  abuse  of  the  sponge — 
Filling  and  lubricating — Grinding  valves — Accumulators  and  charging — The  care 
of  tyres — Treatment  of  new  cars — The  annual  overhaul. 

IT  would  be  hard  to  estimate  how  much  of  the  utiHty  of  a 
motor-car  depends  upon  the  care  that  is  taken  of  it,  and 
the  attention  that  it  receives  in  the  motor-house.  An  ordinary 
well-constructed  motor-car  will  run  with  comparatively  little 
attention,  and  its  behaviour  on  the  road  may  not  for  a  time 
seem  to  be  very  different  whether  much  or  little  time  is  spent 
on  it  when  it  is  standing  ;  but  it  will  not  be  long  before  the 
results  of  care  or  neglect  begin  to  show  themselves.  In  the 
one  case  the  car  will  continue  to  do  its  work  punctually  and 
easily,  and  repairs  and  renewals  will  be  comparatively  trifling ; 
in  the  other  things  will  after  a  short  time  begin  to  go  wrong 
suddenly  and  incurably,  with  the  result  that  expensive  repairs 
and  replacements  will  be  necessary  before  it  can  be  used  again. 
There  can  be  no  difference  of  opinion  as  to  which  of  these  con- 
ditions is  the  more  desirable,  and  it  depends  upon  the  individual 
motorist,  much  more  than  on  the  individual  motor-car,  which 
condition  obtains  in  any  given  case.  There  are  a  great  many 
people  who  think  that  a  motor-car  should  not  need  any  attention 
at  all,  and  that  the  time  which  has  to  be  spent  in  attending  to 
it  when  it  is  not  in  use  involves  a  reflection  on  its  manufacture 
or  design.  Such  a  view  is,  of  course,  extremely  unreasonable. 
The  most  efficient  machinery  is  but  a  device  for  supplementing 

231 


232  THE   COMrLETE    MOTORIST 

and  economising  the  labour  of  man  ;  and  no  machinery  in  the 
world  is  a  complete  substitute  for  labour.  But  with  the  use 
of  machinery  so  much  greater  a  result  can  be  secured  for  a 
given  outlay  of  labour  that  its  use  is  an  obvious  economy. 

The  motorist,  therefore,  who  desires  to  get  the  maximum  of 
pleasure  and  utility  from  his  motor-car  will  realise  from  the 
outset  that  a  certain  amount  of  time  must  be  devoted  to  it  in 
return  for  the  services  which  it  renders  to  him.  Whether  that 
time  and  labour  are  expended  by  himself  or  by  a  hired  motor- 
man,  they  are  equally  necessary ;  but  the  more  they  are  de- 
voted as  a  labour  of  love,  the  better  the  results  will  be.  One 
of  the  first  questions  which  the  motorist  will  have  to  decide, 
therefore,  is  whether  he  is  content  to  look  after  his  car  himself 
or  keep  a  motor-man  for  the  purpose.  Both  systems  have  their 
advantages,  but  much  depends  on  the  uncertain  element  con- 
tained in  the  persons  of  the  prospective  owner  and  mechanic. 
There  is  no  luxury  like  that  of  a  good  servant  whose  work  is 
a  pleasure  to  him  and  who  takes  both  pride  and  interest  in 
doing  it  as  well  as  possible.  But  there  is  another  and,  I  fear, 
a  larger  class  of  servants  who  are  merely  hirelings,  who  regard 
their  working  hours  as  a  bondage,  and  who  lose  no  opportunity 
of  curtailing  them  as  much  as  possible.  Such  a  servant,  far 
from  being  a  luxury,  is  a  trouble  and  a  nuisance,  and  the 
relationship  between  him  and  his  master  is  degrading  to  both. 

If  one  has  the  necessary  time  and  any  taste  for  machinery 
at  all  it  is  far  better  and  pleasanter  to  be  one's  own  mechanic. 
There  is  then  a  personal  relationship  between  the  machine  and 
oneself  which,  however  fantastic  it  may  seem,  is  really  an 
undeniable  factor  in  securing  satisfactory  results.  For  the 
millionaire,  of  course,  things  are  very  simple ;  his  stud  of 
motor-cars  is  attended  by  a  set  of  the  best  and  most  ex- 
perienced men  that  money  can  procure ;  and  in  such  a  case 
the  owner  has  nothing  to  do  but  make  an  occasional  survey 
of  his  motor-houses.  But  I  have  seen  more  than  one  such 
man  whose  cars  were  brought  round  to  him  at  the  appointed 
hours  in  the  pink  of  condition  and  in  a  perfection  of  polish 
and  spotlessness,  and  who  had  nothing  to  do  but  take  his  seat, 
grasp  the  steering  wheel,  and  set  off  on  a  journey  of  any 
length,  relinquishing  all  thoughts  or  concern  when  he  stepped 
from  the  car ;    and   I  have  seen  another  man  who  knew  the 


THE   CARE   OF   A   MOTOR-CAR  233 

condition  of  every  rod,  bolt,  and  valve  in  the  car,  because  he 
had  adjusted  and  tested  them  himself,  who  knew  exactly  what 
was  happening  in  every  part  of  the  machine,  because  he  had 
for  a  certain  number  of  hours  become  oily  and  grimy  in  its 
service  ;  and  I  know  which  of  the  two  was  the  happier  and 
derived  the  greater  pleasure  and  satisfaction  from  the  know- 
ledge that  his  machine  was  running  well. 

The  most  satisfactory,  and  by  far  the  most  economical, 
arrangement  for  motorists  who  can  spare  the  necessary  time 
is  for  the  car  to  be  washed  and  cleaned  by  some  man  on  the 
premises,  and  for  the  owner  himself  to  undertake  the  care  of 
the  machinery,  with  occasional  expert  assistance  in  the  case 
of  some  complicated  replacement  such  as  is  involved  in  the 
taking  down  and  renewal  of  gears.  It  is  absolutely  essential, 
however,  that  the  motorist  who  proposes  to  be  his  own  mechanic 
should  not  be  content  with  a  merely  superficial  knowledge  of 
"  how  the  thing  works,"  but  should  make  himself  thoroughly 
master  of  the  construction  of  his  machine  and  the  working  of 
all  its  parts  before  he  takes  charge  of  it.  It  is  not  at  all  a  bad 
plan  for  such  a  motorist  to  hire  from  the  makers  of  his  car  one 
of  their  mechanics  for  a  few  weeks  at  the  beginning  of  his 
motoring  career.  Such  a  man  will,  in  nearly  every  case,  be 
quite  willing  to  explain  matters  to  the  novice,  who  should  be 
allowed  to  make  adjustments  under  his  supervision.  He  will 
then  have  a  feeling  of  much  greater  confidence,  when  the  time 
comes  to  deal  with  an  emergency,  than  he  would  otherwise 
have  had. 

The  housing  of  a  motor-car  is  an  important  matter  and  has 
much  to  do  with  the  condition  in  which  it  is  kept.  Any  damp 
or  dirty  shed  will  not  do  for  the  purpose.  An  ordinary  coach- 
house, with  a  few  adaptations,  makes  quite  a  suitable  motor- 
house,  the  great  essential  being  that  it  should  be  dry,  well 
ventilated,  and  well  lighted.  Dry,  because  damp  is  always  an 
enemy  to  delicate  machinery  and  carriage  work ;  well  ventilated, 
because  in  the  event  of  a  petrol  leak  there  must  be  ample 
means  of  escape  for  the  fumes ;  and  well  lighted,  because  the 
motor-car  that  is  kept  in  a  dark  house  cannot  be  thoroughly 
examined  or  cleaned.  There  are  worse  occupations  on  a  wet 
and  stormy  day  for  a  man  who  cares  for  his  motor-car  than 
to  don  a  suit  of  overalls  and,  repairing  to  the  motor-house,  give 


234  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

his  car  a  thorough  examination,  adjusting  what  requires  adjust- 
ment, renewing  what  needs  renewing,  and  generally  performing 
the  hundred  and  one  odds  and  ends  of  work  that  have  been 
postponed  for  just  such  an  occasion.  If  the  motor-house  is 
well  lighted,  this  will  be  a  pleasant  and  absorbing  task,  and 
it  will  probably  be  well  done ;  but  if  the  motor-house  is  dark, 
it  will  be  a  dismal  occupation  indeed.  Either  the  doors  will 
have  to  be  left  open,  admitting  rain  and  wind,  or  the  motorist 
will  spend  his  time  in  an  oily  twilight,  working  as  much  by  feel 
as  by  sight,  guessing  what  he  does  not  see,  and  neglecting  what 
he  does  not  guess. 

If  a  motor-house  is  to  be  specially  constructed  it  may  either 
be  built  of  brick  or  stone,  or  a  very  efficient  though  less  sightly 
building  may  be  constructed  of  corrugated  iron  and  wood. 
This  will,  of  course,  be  much  the  cheaper  of  the  two.  But  if  an 
ideal  motor-house  is  desired  it  should  be  substantially  built, 
with  a  deeply  pitched  roof  containing  large  skylights.  The 
floor  should  be  either  of  concrete  or  of  the  tiles  commonly  used 
in  the  flooring  of  stables.  In  the  middle  of  the  house  a  motor- 
pit  should  be  sunk,  about  5  feet  in  depth  by  6  feet  in  length, 
and  about  3  feet  6  inches  in  width.  Stairs  should  be  con- 
structed at  one  end  of  this,  and  it  should  be  fitted  at  about  an 
inch  below  its  edge  all  round  with  a  slightly  projecting  ledge 
on  which  strong  covering  boards  can  rest,  closing  in  the  pit 
when  it  is  not  in  use.  Lower  down,  at  about  three  feet  from  the 
floor,  another  ledge  should  be  fitted  to  carry  a  sliding  seat, 
which  also  can  be  used  as  a  shelf  or  table  for  tools.  If  electric 
light  is  used,  there  should  either  be  a  plug  fitted  in  the  pit  or 
two  or  three  brackets  should  be  fixed  to  the  walls  on  which 
portable  lamps  can  be  hung.  The  pit  should  be  well  drained, 
otherwise  it  will  soon  contain  an  accumulation  of  grease  and  dirt. 

In  such  a  house  the  floor  should  slope  slightly  from  the 
centre  where  the  pit  is  to  a  gutter  surrounding  the  floor  close  to 
the  walls,  but  containing  no  grids.  Oil  blocks  drains,  and  petrol 
is  a  great  danger  in  them  ;  all  droppings  from  the  car  should 
therefore  be  wiped  up.  The  slope  of  the  floor  will  prevent  the 
droppings  of  oil  and  cleaning  material  from  the  car  running 
down  to  the  pit,  where  their  presence  would  be  far  from  desir- 
able. Outside  the  motor-house  and  immediately  in  front  of  it 
should  be  a  well-drained  pavement  for  washing  cars,  and  this,  if 


THE   CARE   OF   A   MOTOR-CAR  235 

cost  is  not  of  great  importance,  should  be  protected  by  a  glass 
roof  carried  on  brackets  from  the  front  of  the  motor-house. 
In  this  case  the  pit  might  with  advantage  be  situated  outside 
the  motor-house  and  under  the  glass  roof.  Inside  the  motor- 
house  itself  a  small  bench  fitted  with  a  vice  will  be  found 
extremely  useful,  and  there  should  be  ample  accommodation  in 
the  way  of  shelves  and  cupboards  for  such  things  as  cleaning 
cloths,  grease,  lubricating  oils,  carbide  for  the  lamps,  lamp- 
wicks,  spare  nuts,  bolts,  and  valves,  sparking  plugs,  wires, 
batteries,  and  so  forth.  Petrol  and  paraffin  oil  should  be  kept 
in  a  separate  building ;  the  roughest  little  cabin  will  do  so  long 
as  it  is  thoroughly  ventilated  ;  but  these  stores  should  on  no 
account  be  kept  in  any  building  adjoining  either  motor-house, 
stables,  harness-room,  or  the  living-rooms  of  the  servants.  If 
petrol  is  stored  in  the  ordinary  two-gallon  tins  any  rough  out- 
house that  can  be  locked  up  will  serve  the  purpose ;  but  if  it  is 
desired  to  store  petrol  in  bulk  special  tanks  will  have  to  be  con- 
structed and  a  special  licence  obtained.  Perhaps  the  best  plan 
in  such  circumstances  is  to  have  one  or  more  galvanised  iron 
tanks  sunk  in  the  ground  and  fitted  with  a  pump  and  a  float  for 
indicating  the  level.  Many  other  ways  will  suggest  themselves 
in  which  safety  can  be  assured.  Sir  David  Salomons,  for 
example,  whose  motor-houses  at  Broomhill,  Tunbridge  Wells, 
are  probably  the  most  completely  equipped  in  this  country,  has 
devised  a  special  house  for  the  storage  of  petrol  built  of  bricks 
with  slight  gaps  in  between  so  as  to  allow  a  free  current  of  air 
to  pass  through  them.  The  roof  ig  of  corrugated  iron  and  the 
floor  of  concrete;  the  petrol-tanks  are  placed  on  sills  of  such  a 
height  that  if  they  were  to  leak  their  whole  contents  could  run 
out  on  to  the  floor  of  the  house  without  escaping  outside  it ;  and 
this  floor  space  below  the  sills  is  almost  entirely  filled  with  sand 
which  would  absorb  the  escaping  liquid.  But  with  the  present 
facilities  for  obtaining  petrol  at  short  notice  few  motorists  would 
find  it  necessary  to  store  it  in  such  large  quantities. 

Suitable  brackets,  somewhat  similar  to  those  on  which  saddles 
are  kept,  should  be  provided  for  tyre  covers  and  spare  tubes, 
the  latter  being  very  slightly  inflated  before  being  hung  up.  It 
is  better,  however,  to  lay  tyres  on  their  sides  in  a  clean,  dry,  and 
cool  place  with  a  sheet  of  very  coarse  canvas  between  each 
tyre,  so  that   air  can  circulate  completely  round  them.     Bins 


236  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

should  be  kept  for  clean  and  soiled  cotton  waste,  and  two 
smaller  bins  containing  sand  and  sawdust  respectively  should 
also  stand  in  the  motor-house.  The  sand  is  for  the  extinction 
of  any  petrol  fire  that  should  by  accident  arise,  as  water  is  use- 
less for  such  a  purpose  ;  and  the  sawdust  should  be  thrown  on 
the  floor  where  any  heavy  oil  has  dropped  ;  it  will  absorb  the 
oil  and  can  afterwards  be  brushed  up.  If  oil  is  dropped  on  the 
floor  and  is  not  treated  in  this  way,  it  will  be  certain  sooner  or 
later  to  find  its  way  to  the  tyres. 

Unless  the  motor-house  is  part  of  a  warmed  building  it  will 
probably  be  necessary  to  provide  artificial  heat  in  winter  and  in 
very  wet  weather.  This  should  on  no  account  take  the  form  of 
a  lamp  or  fire  inside  the  house  itself  Where  an  electric  current 
is  available  an  electric  stove  is  by  far  the  best  apparatus  for 
warming  a  motor-house ;  but  it  is  expensive.  The  next  best 
thing  is  an  apparatus  of  hot-water  pipes,  the  boiler  being 
situated  in  a  compartment  of  its  own  outside  the  motor-house. 
An  alternative  would  be  a  hot-air  system,  the  heat  being  sup- 
plied by  a  large  paraffin  stove,  also  placed  in  a  special  compart- 
ment outside  the  motor-house.  The  temperature  should  be 
kept  at  about  50°  Fahrenheit. 

If  the  motor-house  is  properly  warmed  there  will  be  no  need 
for  waterproof  covers  for  the  car,  but  it  should  always  be 
covered  with  a  light  dust  cover  except  in  very  damp  weather, 
when  it  is  better  to  use  no  cover  at  all.  If  top  lights  are  used 
as  I  advised,  they  should  be  fitted  with  roller  blinds,  so  that 
in  hot  weather  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun  will  not  beat  upon  the 
car.  One  or  more  chemical  fire  extinguishers  should  be  part 
of  the  equipment  of  every  motor-house,  as  in  the  event  of  a 
flare  of  petrol  the  car  itself  may  take  fire,  when  it  would  not  be 
advisable  to  use  sand  as  an  extinguisher.  If  the  car  is  to  be  in 
the  motor-house  for  several  days  at  a  time,  it  is  always  well  for 
the  sake  of  the  tyres  to  jack  all  four  wheels  up  off  the  floor. 
For  this  purpose  four  stout  wooden  supports  should  be  made, 
each  with  a  cross  piece  at  the  bottom  to  serve  as  a  foot  and 
a  groove  cut  in  the  top  and  faced  with  leather  upon  which 
the  axles  may  rest.  Each  wheel  of  the  car  should  then  be 
jacked  up  in  turn  and  one  of  the  wooden  props  placed  under 
the  axle  at  each  of  the  four  points  of  suspension.  The  foot  of 
the  prop  should,  of  course,  be  placed  longitudinally  with  the  car. 


THE   CARE   OF   A    MOTOR-CAR  237 

The  foregoing  suggestions,  although  they  apply  to  a  motor- 
house  on  a  somewhat  luxurious  scale,  may  easily  be  adapted  to 
suit  the  purpose  of  a  very  modest  establishment  indeed,  the 
great  essentials  of  a  motor-house  being  dryness  and  ventilation. 
But  whether  the  motor-house  is  built  of  palatial  stone  or  corru- 
gated iron  its  dimensions  should  at  the  very  least  permit  of  an 
easy  passage  right  round  the  car,  so  that  no  gymnastic  per- 
formances are  necessary  in  the  cleaning  of  it. 

With  regard  to  the  care  of  the  car  itself,  that  consists  in 
leaving  it  in  a  condition  to  be  ready  to  start  on  a  journey  of  any 
length  at  a  few  minutes'  notice ;  and  this  can  only  be  accom- 
plished by  regular  attention  in  every  detail.  When  a  motor-car 
comes  in  from  a  day's  run  in  wet  weather  it  is  convenient  to  get 
the  loose  mud  off  it  at  once,  as  there  is  a  danger  of  its  scratching 
the  paint  if  it  is  left  on  to  dry.  Now  the  wise  owner  who  takes 
a  pride  in  the  appearance  of  his  carriage  work  permits  only  one 
method  of  washing  in  his  stables — water  and  chamois  leather. 
The  use  of  the  sponge,  which  is  commonly  advocated,  certainly 
expedites  matters,  but  in  the  end  it  damages  the  paint  work.  The 
ideal  method  is  to  use  a  hose  pipe  with  a  narrow  nozzle  and  to 
remove  dirt  by  the  flow  of  water  alone,  afterwards  drying  and 
polishing  with  wash-leathers.  If  a  motorist  can  induce  his 
cleaner  to  adopt  this  slow  but  excellent  method,  he  will  be 
rewarded  by  shining  paint  work  and  a  low  bill  at  the  varnisher's. 
In  very  obstinate  cases  a  mixture  consisting  of  a  bucket  of  soft 
water  and  a  teacupful  of  petrol  may  be  syringed  on  to  the  soiled 
paint ;  but  it  must  afterwards  be  cleaned  and  polished  with 
boiled  linseed  oil.  The  use  of  the  hose,  however,  is  not  so 
simple  a  matter  on  a  motor-car  as  it  is  on  a  carriage,  as  great 
care  must  be  taken  not  to  splash  the  water  indiscriminately 
about  the  under  frame  and  to  keep  it  absolutely  clear  of  the 
engine.  If  the  bonnet  is  easily  detachable,  it  may  be  taken 
off  altogether  and  the  hose  played  upon  it ;  otherwise  it  will 
have  to  be  sponged. 

The  use  of  the  water -brush  on  the  carriage  varnish  must 
be  absolutely  forbidden  ;  it  should  only  be  used  on  the  tyres 
and  on  such  parts  of  the  under  frame  as  collect  hard  caked  mud. 
If  the  hose  is  used  when  the  car  comes  in,  it  should  only  be 
used  sufficiently  to  remove  the  loose  mud,  the  actual  cleaning 
being  postponed  until  the  engine  has  cooled  down.     It  should 


2S8  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

then  be  cleaned  in  the  usual  way,  the  final  polishing  being 
reserved  until  the  engine  and  all  the  running  gear  have  been 
cleaned.  The  best  way  to  clean  the  engine  is  with  paraffin 
applied  with  an  ordinary  paint-brush  and  afterwards  wiped  over 
with  waste. 

Unprotected  chains,  if  they  are  only  a  little  dusty,  may  be 
cleaned  with  a  paraffin  brush  and  afterwards  brushed  over  with 
tallow  and  blacklead  ;  but  if  the  car  has  had  a  long  and  muddy 
journey,  the  chains  should  be  taken  off  and  laid  in  a  shallow 
pan  containing  petrol  or  paraffin  oil.  The  best  way  is  to  put 
them  first  in  petrol  and  shake  them  about  in  it,  and  then  leave 
them  all  night  in  a  tray  of  paraffin.  After  that  they  should  be 
lubricated  either  with  melted  tallow  or  some  of  the  special 
preparations  of  graphite  and  grease  which  are  sold  for  the 
purpose.  This  should  be  allowed  to  penetrate  well  between 
the  links,  when  the  chain  may  be  replaced.  When  the  engine 
has  been  running  for  some  time  a  good  deal  of  oil  will  have 
worked  its  way  along  the  various  shafts  and  bearings ;  this 
should  all  be  wiped  away,  and  all  exposed  motion  cleaned  with 
oily  waste.  The  taps  at  the  bottom  of  the  crank  chambers 
should  periodically  be  opened  and  the  cylinder  oil  allowed  to 
drain  away ;  it  is  then  a  good  plan  to  inject  paraffin  through 
the  compression  taps  at  the  top  of  the  cylinder  and  to  turn  the 
engine  by  hand  until  it  has  all  run  through  and  out  of  the  crank 
chamber.  In  the  same  way  all  open  bearings  and  oil  cups 
should  be  filled  first  with  petrol  and  then  with  paraffin,  and  the 
motion  turned  until  it  has  all  worked  out,  when  the  lubricators 
should  again  be  filled  with  lubricating  oil  and  the  engine  run  for 
a  (ew  minutes  to  let  the  oil  work  into  the  bearings.  The  less  the 
amateur  opens  up  the  engine  and  other  parts  of  the  machinery 
the  better  ;  and  all  uncouplings,  disconnections,  and  unscrewings, 
except  for  a  necessary  and  definite  purpose,  should  be  strictly 
avoided.  If  an  engine  is  running  well  it  should  be  let  alone; 
for  while  the  amateur  finds  machinery  easy  enough  to  take 
to  pieces,  it  does  not  follow  that  he  will  be  able  to  put  it 
together  again  so  easily.  And  there  is  always  the  danger  that 
he  may  leave  a  spanner  in  the  crank  chamber  or  a  washer 
beneath  the  valve  cover,  and  spend  a  long  time  hunting  for 
them,  and  have  no  idea  of  where  they  are  until  he  starts  the 
engine — if,  indeed,  he  guesses  then. 


THE   CARE    OF   A   MOTOR-CAR  239 

A  car  that  is  running  in  good  order  should  need  Httle  in  the 
way  of  attention  except  in  the  exhaust  valves,  which,  especially 
at  first  and  in  a  car  driven  by  an  inexperienced  driver,  would 
periodically  become  choked  either  with  the  waste  of  decom- 
posed lubricating  oil — a  result  of  over-lubrication,  overheating, 
and  improperly  regulated  mixture — or  the  valves  and  their  seats 
will  have  become  pitted  by  the  same  agencies.  In  this  case 
they  will  require  regrinding — not  a  difficult  matter.  The  cover- 
ing of  the  valve  chamber  having  been  taken  off  and  the  springs 
of  the  valve  removed,  its  bearing  surface  and  its  seat  must  be 
wiped  clean  with  paraffin  or  petrol.  A  paste  should  then  be 
made  of  emery  flour  and  fine  lubricating  oil,  and  the  bearing 
surface  of  the  valve  coated  with  a  thin  layer  of  this  substance. 
The  valve  should  then  be  replaced  in  its  seat,  care  being  taken 
to  turn  the  engine  so  that  the  striking  rod  from  the  cam-shaft 
clears  the  stem  of  the  valve,  which  should  bed  firmly  on  its  seat. 
A  brace  screw-driver  should  now  be  placed  in  the  slot  cut  in  the 
valve,  which  should  be  twisted  round  about  on  its  seat  in  both 
directions,  moderate  pressure  being  brought  to  bear  on  the 
brace.  When  this  has  been  done  for  a  few  minutes  the  valve 
should  be  removed,  the  paste  rubbed  off  it  and  the  seat,  and  a 
little  more  applied  with  the  finger,  when  the  same  process  should 
be  repeated,  the  valve  being  turned  round  in  a  different  position. 
The  valve  and  its  seating  should  now  be  examined  to  see 
whether  the  surface  is  bright  and  true ;  if  it  is  not,  the  process 
must  be  repeated  until  every  sign  of  pitting  has  disappeared. 
Before  replacing  the  valve  it  and  its  seat  must  be  scrupulously 
cleaned  with  several  clean  fragments  of  oily  waste,  one  being 
used  after  the  other  and  then  thrown  away,  as  nothing  could  be 
more  disastrous  than  for  any  fragment  of  the  emery  paste  to 
get  into  the  valve  chamber  and  so  into  the  cylinder.  The 
valves  and  valve  mechanism  may  then  be  replaced. 

Sparking  plugs,  wires,  and  all  electrical  apparatus  will  need 
regular  examination,  the  insulation  of  high-tension  wires  being 
a  particularly  vital  matter.  Where  accumulators  are  used  at 
least  two  sets  should  always  be  kept,  one  fully  charged  ready  to 
replace  the  one  partially  discharged.  If  there  are  facilities  for 
recharging  in  the  motor-house  itself — and  this  is  a  simple 
matter  where  electric  light  is  installed — it  is  not  a  bad  plan 
always  to  set  out  for  a  day's  run  with  fully  charged  accumula- 


240  THE   COMPLETE    MOTORIST 

tors,  as  however  little  an  accumulator  may  have  been  discharged, 
its  life  is  greatly  prolonged  if  it  is  not  run  down  too  much  before 
being  recharged.  It  is  usual  to  carry  an  additional  accumulator 
on  the  car  itself  which  can  be  switched  on  in  case  the  one  in  use 
should  fail ;  and  this  spare  accumulator  should  be  regularly 
examined  and  tested  like  the  others  with  a  voltmeter.  The 
water  for  cooling  should  periodically  be  drained  away  and  the 
tank  refilled  with  soft  water  poured  through  a  strainer.  In 
refilling,  the  drain-cock  of  the  water  system  should  be  left  open 
until  the  new  water  begins  to  flow  freely  out  of  it,  so  as  to  avoid 
an  air-lock.  This  is  necessary  whether  the  water  circulation  is 
maintained  by  pump  or  on  the  thermo-syphon  system.  It  goes 
without  saying  that  all  grease  cups  and  lubricators  should 
regularly  be  filled  up  whenever  the  car  is  in  the  motor-house, 
and  that  the  gear-case  should  not  be  allowed  to  run  too  long 
without  being  filled  with  new  grease.  The  grease  caps  on  the 
wheels  are  apt  to  escape  attention  ;  but  these  should  be  kept 
well  filled  with  a  mixture  of  gear  grease  and  oil,  or  with  pure 
vaseline. 

These  remarks  as  to  care  and  cleaning  apply  equally  to  steam 
and  petrol  cars.  In  the  case  of  a  steam  car  which  has  a  fire- 
tube  boiler  of  the  old  type,  this  should  be  blown  down  at  the 
end  of  every  day's  run,  the  blow-off  cock  being  opened  slightly 
at  first  and  fully  when  the  steam  pressure  has  fallen  to  about 
a  hundred  pounds.  When  the  boiler  has  blown  itself  out  all 
taps,  including  those  on  the  water  column,  should  be  opened 
and  the  water  supply  from  the  tank  shut  off  so  that  the  air  has 
access  to  the  boiler,  which  can  then  neither  syphon  itself  full  nor 
form  a  vacuum.  There  is  danger  if  the  boiler  is  allowed  to 
syphon  itself  full  that  the  water  will  penetrate  into  the  throttle 
and  thence  possibly  into  the  engine,  through  which  it  will  have 
to  be  worked  when  the  car  starts.  In  all  steam  cars  regularly 
used  it  is  just  as  well,  even  when  there  is  no  danger  of  frost,  to 
open  all  the  drain-cocks  and  drain  all  the  water  and  steam 
away ;  on  the  other  hand,  if  they  are  to  be  left  standing  for  any 
time  in  temperate  weather  they  should  be  filled  up  with  water, 
so  that  rust  cannot  form. 

When  there  is  nothing  else  to  be  done  to  a  motor-car  there 
is  nearly  always  something  that  can  be  done  to  the  tyres.  Any 
spot  of  oil  which  may  accidentally  have  got  upon  them  should 


THE   CARE   OF  A   MOTOR-CAK  241 

be  carefully  removed  with  benzine,  and  all  little  cuts  in  the 
covers,  however  smooth,  should  be  filled  up.  It  is  a  very  good 
occupation  for  a  wet  day,  when  the  car  is  not  to  be  used,  to  go 
completely  over  the  tyres,  plugging  small  cuts  in  the  covers 
(after  they  have  been  carefully  cleaned  out  with  sand-paper) 
with  rubber  solution  and  scraps  of  unvulcanised  rubber,  the 
wound  thus  healed  being  covered  with  a  rubber  bandage  to 
keep  it  from  the  air.  There  is  nothing  in  which  so  great  an 
economy  can  be  effected  by  a  little  attention  now  and  then  as 
in  the  care  of  pneumatic  tyres,  which  are  among  the  most 
expensive,  as  they  are  certainly  the  most  vulnerable,  parts  of  a 
motor-car. 

Cars  that  come  new  from  the  factory  require  special  attention 
in  the  motor-house,  as  some  of  the  bolts  and  nuts  are  almost 
certain  to  work  loose  during  the  first  few  runs.  These  should 
be  gone  over  carefully  with  a  spanner ;  the  one  that  is  missed 
will  probably  be  the  loose  one.  New  cars  should  also  be  heavily 
lubricated,  even  at  the  cost  of  dirty  valves  and  an  unclean 
exhaust ;  but  they  must  be  all  the  more  scrupulously  cleaned, 
both  inside  and  out,  on  this  account.  With  regard  to  general 
overhaul,  I  am  convinced  that  it  is  a  practical  economy  to  send 
a  car  that  is  in  daily  use  once  a  year  to  the  works  to  be  taken 
to  pieces  and  examined,  and  all  worn  parts  replaced.  The 
makers  would,  in  most  cases,  give  an  estimate  (which  should 
not  be  heavy)  for  the  taking  to  pieces  and  rebuilding ;  they 
would  then  report  what  replacements  were  necessary  to  make 
the  car  as  good  as  new.  The  average  annual  mileage  of  a 
small  car  in  constant  use  would  be  about  5,000  miles,  and  of 
a  large  touring  car  10,000  ;  and  after  such  a  piece  of  work  a 
complete  overhaul  is  not  an  unreasonable  suggestion.  More- 
over by  this  means  the  motorist  has  his  car  annually  renewed, 
and  need  not  feel  that  the  value  of  it  is  being  wiped  out  by 
depreciation. 


CHAPTER   XI 
CONCERNING  TYRES 

A  bane  and  a  blessing — The  motorist's  chief  anxiety — Who  is  to  blame? — Tyres 
too  small— Care  in  driving — Solid  tyres — Construction  of  the  pneumatic  tyre — 
The  use  of  protecting  bands — Cushion  tyres — The  Palmer  Cord  tyre — Spare 
tubes  and  covers — The  storage  of  pneumatic  tyres — Temporary  repairs — How 
to  attach  and  detach  pneumatic  tyres — Patches  and  plasters — Punctures  and 
side-slips — The  Parsons  and  other  devices — Nail-catchers. 

IT  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  the  motor-car  in  its  present 
form  and  in  its  present  state  of  efficiency  would  be  im- 
possible if  the  pneumatic  tyre  had  not  been  invented.  In  the 
early  days  of  the  steam  carriages  one  of  the  constant  problems 
presenting  themselves  to  the  designers  was  how  to  avoid  the 
damage  and  disintegration  of  the  machinery  caused  by  the  shocks 
transmitted  through  the  wheels  from  the  surface  of  the  road. 
In  railway  work  this  problem  is  not  present,  or  it  is  present  only 
in  a  very  modified  degree  ;  but  in  vehicles  designed  to  travel 
on  the  common  roads  it  is  a  very  serious  one.  And  serious  as 
it  was  in  the  case  of  the  steam  carriages  requiring  machinery 
very  heavy  and  solid  in  proportion  to  the  work  it  had  to  do, 
the  difficulty  becomes  acute  when  we  are  dealing  with  the  very 
light,  delicate,  and  fast-running  machinery  of  the  modern  motor- 
car. The  invention  of  the  pneumatic  tyre  has  made  it  possible 
to  use  this  light  and  comparatively  fragile  machinery  on  motor- 
cars ;  but  it  has  brought  in  a  new  crop  of  difficulties  in  the  form 
of  its  own  perishable  nature,  its  costliness,  and  its  liability  to 
puncture  and  other  forms  of  sudden  damage.  And  as  it  stands 
to-day,  the  pneumatic  tyre  is  curiously  enough  at  once  the  great 
boon  and  bane  of  motoring — a  boon  because  it  makes  speed 
and  luxuriously  smooth  progress  possible  on  the  common  road, 
a  bane  because  it  is,  compared  with  the  other  wearing  parts 
of  the  machine,  so  fragile  and  so  costly, 

242 


CONCERNING   TYRES  243 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  to  many  a  man  weighing  in  his 
mind  the  pros  and  cons  of  investing  in  a  motor-car,  the  tyre 
trouble,  with  its  unknown  quantity  of  expenditure,  seems  like 
the  last  straw  that  broke  the  camel's  back.  Other  matters  can 
be  estimated  for  with  some  accuracy ;  the  life  of  any  part  of 
the  machinery  is  approximately  known,  the  cost  of  petrol,  of 
repairs,  of  cleaning  and  lubricating,  can  be  pretty  accurately 
forecasted.  But  no  one  knows  the  day  nor  the  hour  when  his 
costly  new  pneumatic  tyres  may  burst  asunder,  or  be  cut  or 
ripped  to  pieces  by  some  evil  accident.  Insurance  companies 
will  provide  at  very  moderate  cost  freedom  from  anxiety  as 
regards  all  other  damage  ;  but  they  will  not  insure  pneumatic 
tyres.  So  that  the  pneumatic  tyre,  although  it  cannot  well  be 
dispensed  with,  constitutes  undoubtedly  one  of  the  gravest 
anxieties  of  the  motorist.  One  is  compelled  to  ask,  therefore, 
what  the  cause  of  this  apparent  failure  is  ;  whether  it  is  that 
the  manufacturers  are  unable  to  produce  a  tyre  equal  to  the 
work  demanded  of  it,  or  whether  there  is  some  widespread 
carelessness  in  the  use  of  the  tyres  that  causes  them  to  give 
so  much  dissatisfaction  and  anxiety. 

A  few  years  ago  one  would  have  been  compelled  to  attribute 
the  blame  almost  solely  to  the  manufacturers.  Like  everything 
else,  the  idea  of  the  pneumatic  tyre  was  some  time  in  advance 
of  its  realisation ;  but  the  demand  for  it  was  so  urgent  that 
people  began  to  make  pneumatic  tyres  without  having  given 
sufficient  time  to  the  study  of  their  proper  construction.  They 
were  often  flimsy  and  badly  constructed ;  and  the  materials 
used  were  not  of  that  superlative  quality  which  seems  absolutely 
essential  in  manufacturing  processes  where  india-rubber  is  used. 
So  that  tyres  were  constantly  failing,  and  could  never  be  relied 
upon. 

Now,  however,  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  the  blame  has 
shifted  to  the  other  shoulders ;  that  although  first-rate  pneumatic 
tyres  are  now  available,  they  are  so  misused  and  neglected  by 
the  average  motor-car  owner  that  the  troubles  connected  with 
them  are  more  often  his  fault  than  the  makers'.  But  why  make 
things  so  delicate  as  to  require  constant  attention  ?  the  user  may 
ask ;  and  in  that  case  I  have  nothing  to  say  to  him  but  to 
remind  him  that  we  are  neither  in  Utopia  nor  in  Paradise, 
but  in  a  vale  of  tears  where  perfection  is  seldom  attained  and 


244  THE   COMPLETE    MOTORIST 

where,  even  as  rej^ards  motor-cars,  the  best  within  our  reach  is 
a  mixture  of  pleasures  and  pains.  It  is  surely  something  to 
the  good  that  as  regards  pneumatic  tyres  we  have  at  least 
attained  something  like  a  respectable  degree  of  endurance  and 
safety ;  and  that,  the  manufacturer  having  so  far  done  his  part, 
it  behoves  the  user  at  least  to  do  his  share  in  contributing 
towards  an  ideal  condition  of  his  wheels. 

There  is  indeed  a  third  party  to  the  tyre  question,  and  one  by 
no  means  free  from  blame.  I  refer  to  the  maker  and  seller 
of  motor-cars,  who,  in  his  anxiety  for  speed  and  lightness  and 
cheapness,  habitually  fits  to  the  cars  which  he  sells  tyres  of  too 
small  a  diameter  to  sustain  properly  the  weight  and  wear 
imposed  upon  them.  The  keen  competition  in  the  motor 
industry  requires  the  maker  to  cut  down  the  cost  to  the  very 
lowest  point ;  and  as  a  motor-car  is  a  machine  composed  of  an 
enormous  number  of  parts,  very  few  of  which  are  very  costly  in 
themselves  or  admit  of  much  economy  if  the  machine  is  to  run 
at  all,  the  maker  has  only  a  few  expensive  accessories  by  the 
cutting  down  of  which  he  may  increase  his  profit.  The  chief  of 
these  are  tyres,  which  at  their  cheapest  are  an  expensive  part 
of  a  motor-car,  costing  anything  from  ;^20  to  ^^"150  a  set.  By 
fitting  a  size  smaller  than  is  required  the  maker  can  always  save 
a  few  pounds,  and  at  the  same  time  add  to  the  light  and  elegant 
appearance  of  his  machine.  This  has  been  done  to  such  an 
extent  that  even  the  standard  ideas  as  to  what  is  a  proper 
weight  and  diameter  of  tyre  for  a  given  purpose  have  become 
affected  by  it ;  and  in  almost  all  cars,  even  in  those  the  makers 
of  which  are  beyond  suspicion  of  scamping,  the  user  would  find 
it  a  benefit  to  insist  on  having  tyres  one  size  larger  than  the 
makers  think  it  necessary  to  fit.  I  may  seem  to  have  harped 
overmuch  on  this  theme  throughout  these  pages ;  but  I  insist 
upon  it,  because  I  am  convinced,  not  from  my  own  experience 
alone,  but  from  that  of  the  users  of  every  kind  of  motor-car 
and  pneumatic  tyre,  that  at  least  half  the  trouble  and  cost 
of  up-keep  associated  with  pneumatic  tyres  is  due  to  this 
tendency  to  use  tyres  of  too  small  a  build. 

To  go  back,  however,  to  the  troubles  arising  directly  from 
misuse  and  neglect.  Too  many  motorists,  having  started  their 
engines  at  the  beginning  of  a  run,  think  that  they  should  be 
able  to  reach  the  end  of  it  without  giving  a  thought  to  the 


CONCERNING   TYRES  245 

mechanism  which  is  carrying  them,  or  trying  to  protect  it  from 
some  of  the  cruelties  of  the  road  ;  and  too  many,  when  they 
bring  their  cars  in  at  the  end  of  a  journey,  think  that  all  that 
mechanism  should  require  until  it  is  started  again  is  a  douche 
from  a  hose-pipe  and  a  pint  or  two  of  lubricating  oil.  The 
ways  in  which  a  careful  driver  can  save  his  tyres  on  the  road 
are  many,  and  have  already  been  referred  to ;  so  have  the 
methods  of  looking  after  them  while  the  car  is  not  in  use ;  and 
if  the  results  attributable  to  neglect  of  this  care  are  carefully 
considered,  it  will  be  seen  that  there  is  some  justice  in  my  theory 
that  tyre  troubles  are  more  often  due  to  the  motorist's  than 
to  the  maker's  negligence.  Punctures  and  cuts  will,  however, 
even  with  the  best  of  care,  sometimes  occur ;  they  may  then  be 
described,  in  insurance  phraseology,  as  the  Act  of  God,  and  the 
motorist,  although  he  will  have  to  pay,  need  not  blame  himself 
or  the  manufacturer.  But  with  the  use  of  proper  protecting 
bands  and  of  large  tyres  pumped  up  hard,  and  with  the  additional 
safety  afforded  by  thorn  and  nail  catchers,  it  is  astonishing  over 
how  many  thousands  of  miles  of  hard  flint  and  granite  the  soft 
rubber  will  travel  without  being  damaged. 

Solid  rubber  tyres  have  many  advantages,  the  chief  being, 
of  course,  their  cheapness  and  immunity  from  puncture  troubles. 
Their  chief  disadvantages  are  that  they  are  less  comfortable 
than  pneumatics,  communicate  more  vibration  and  wear  to  the 
engines  and  running  gear,  and  are  useless  for  vehicles  travelling 
at  speeds  above  twenty  miles  per  hour.  Not  being  like  pneu- 
matic tyres,  in  a  high  state  of  distension,  and  consequently 
of  grip  upon  the  circumference  of  the  wheel,  the  centrifugal 
tendency  developed  in  a  wheel  revolving  at  a  high  speed  causes 
them  to  creep  upon  the  rim  and  to  endeavour  to  fly  off  it 
altogether.  For  motorists,  however,  who  are  content  with  an 
average  speed  of  fifteen  miles  an  hour  and  who  will  forego 
a  certain  amount  of  luxury,  there  is  a  great  economy  attainable 
in  the  use  of  solid  tyres  on  the  driving  wheels,  where  the  wear 
is  greatest  and  where  most  of  the  troubles  with  pneumatic  tyres 
occur.  If  pneumatic  tyres  are  fitted  to  the  front  wheels  the 
engine  will  be  protected  from  the  worst  of  the  road  vibration  ; 
and  with  that  reflection  the  economical  passenger  may  cheer 
himself  when  he  sits  jolting  in  the  tonneau.  Moreover,  the 
doctor  will  tell  him  that  it  is  good  for  his  liver. 


246  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

Solid  tyres  are  not  popular,  however,  with  the  ordinary 
motorist,  who  very  naturally  wishes  to  get  the  greatest  possible 
speed  and  comfort  out  of  his  car.  There  are  several  varieties 
of  pneumatic  tyre,  most  of  them  conforming  to  one  principle 
of  design.  In  this  the  outer  part  of  the  pneumatic  tyre  is 
a  thick  rubber  tread,  into  the  fabric  of  which  several  layers 
of  canvas  are  built,  the  inside  of  it  being  lined  entirely  with 
canvas.  This  outer  tread  is  in  the  form  of  a  half  tube,  the 
concave  rim  of  the  wheel  taking  the  place  of  the  other  half. 
Between  these  two  is  an  endless  tube  of  india-rubber  of  ap- 
proximately the  same  diameter  as  the  rim  of  the  wheel ;  it  is 
fitted  at  a  point  in  its  inside  circumference  with  a  metal  air 
valve  which  projects  through  an  aperture  in  the  rim  of  the 
wheel.  The  outer  cover  fits  on  to  this  rim  either  by  means 
of  flanged  edges,  which  engage  with  corresponding  flanges  in 
the  rim,  by  wires  and  clamps  (as  in  the  Collier  tyre),  or  by  some 
other  means.  When  the  tube  and  cover  are  both  in  place  (the 
wheel  of  the  car  being  jacked  up  from  the  ground  for  that 
purpose)  the  air  chamber  is  inflated  by  means  of  a  pump,  and 
expanding  against  the  unelastic  outer  cover,  forces  that  out- 
wards from  the  rim  until  the  whole  tyre  is  hard.  A  cushion 
of  compressed  air  is  thus  provided  between  the  road  and  the 
wheel  proper. 

The  best-known  tyres  in  this  country  are  the  Dunlop,  the 
Clipper  Continental,  the  Clipper  Michelin,  the  Collier,  and  the 
Palmer  Cord,  each  of  which  has  won  many  successes  in  the 
various  races  and  reliability  trials.  All  of  these  tyres  are  similar 
in  principle,  although  they  vary  in  structural  details ;  and  it 
would  be  very  hard  to  say  which  is  the  best  of  them.  The 
differences  are  chiefly  in  the  manner  of  attaching  the  outer 
cover  to  the  rim,  and  to  some  extent  also  in  the  sectional  con- 
struction of  the  outer  cover  itself.  The  tread,  as  that  part  of 
the  tyre  which  comes  in  contact  with  the  road  surface  is  called, 
is  also  variously  designed  ;  it  may  either  be  perfectly  plain,  or 
be  moulded  into  transverse  or  longitudinal  corrugations,  or  be 
studded  with  small  projections — in  each  case  to  increase  the 
grip  on  the  road  and  to  lessen  the  danger  of  side-slip.  For  the 
same  purpose  various  bands  are  fitted  over  the  tyre,  in  some 
cases  of  leather  studded  with  metal,  in  others  of  rubber  with  a 
specially   prepared    surface.      For    my   part,    I    would    always 


CONCERNING  TYRES  247 

advise  that  tyres  of  four-inch  diameter  and  under  should  be 
fitted  with  some  form  of  band  from  the  very  beginning  when 
they  are  new.  Such  treatment,  which  is  not  costly,  adds  much 
to  the  strength  and  life  of  the  tyre,  and  takes  very  little  from 
its  speed.  And  while  we  are  on  the  subject  of  speed,  it  may  be 
observed  that  although  a  light  tyre  may  add  a  few  miles  per 
hour  to  the  speed  of  one's  car,  that  advantage  is  soon  wiped  out 
by  the  time  spent  in  wayside  repairs  ;  and  that  it  is  better  to 
spend  one's  time  travelling  along  the  road  than  wrestling  by  the 
wayside  with  a  stiff  and  unkind  outer  cover.  There  are  some 
single-tube  pneumatic  tyres  in  which  the  whole  of  the  fabric  is 
constructed  in  one  piece — an  endless  tube  with  very  thick  walls 
attached  to  the  rim  by  means  of  bolts  fastened  to  the  inside 
circumference  of  the  tyre  and  passing  through  the  rim  of  the 
wheel.  On  very  light  cars  these  tyres  sometimes  give  very 
good  results  ;  I  have  known  Diamond  tyres  of  this  construction 
to  last  for  many  thousands  of  miles  when  protected  by  an  outer 
band.  Their  almost  unique  disadvantage  is  that  they  cannot  be 
properly  repaired  by  amateurs,  in  spite  of  the  ingenious  equip- 
ment provided  for  that  purpose  ;  but  on  the  other  hand  their 
walls  are  so  thick  that  in  the  event  of  a  puncture  the  car  can 
be  run  home  on  a  deflated  tyre  without  very  serious  con- 
sequences. But  they  are  only  useful  for  very  light  cars  which 
manoeuvre  within  a  reasonable  distance  of  home  and  help. 

Some  forms  of  cushion  tyre  have  been  introduced  for  motor- 
cars, the  principle  of  which  is  a  single  rubber  tyre  containing  a 
hollow  core  of  air  not  under  compression  ;  and  in  this  way  some- 
what more  resiliency  is  secured  than  is  possible  with  solid 
tyres.  One  of  the  best  of  these  is  the  Ducasble,  manufactured 
by  the  North  British  Rubber  Company.  The  tread  of  this  tyre 
is  wide  and  flat,  and  as  the  rubber  is  manufactured  in  a  state  of 
compression,  any  cut  or  puncture  is  automatically  closed  up  by 
the  expansion  of  the  surrounding  fabric.  The  method  of 
attaching  this  tyre  to  the  rim  is  particularly  strong  and  rigid, 
so  that  the  stripping  of  the  tyre  from  the  wheel  is  almost  im- 
possible. 

The  Palmer  Cord  Motor  Tyre  is  one  of  the  latest  forms  of  the 
pneumatic  tyre.  Unlike  every  other  pneumatic  tyre  on  the 
market,  it  contains  no  canvas  in  the  fabric  of  the  outer  cover. 
Instead  of  this,  a  fabric  of  what  the  makers  call  "  airless  cord  " 


248  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

is  used.  This  is  a  cord  composed  of  threads  which  have  been 
first  dried  and  then  impregnated  with  rubber  by  special 
machinery ;  and  the  cord,  which  is  composed  of  a  great  number 
of  strands  of  the  thread,  is  itself  mixed  and  impregnated  with 
pure  rubber.  By  various  methods  of  building  and  twisting  up, 
every  thread  in  the  cord  is  absolutely  insulated  from  every  other 
thread  by  india-rubber,  and  a  cord  is  thus  made  composed 
entirely  of  rubber  and  thread,  from  which  the  air  has  been  ex- 
pelled. This  cord  is  closely  wound  on  a  mould  the  shape  of  the 
outer  cover ;  two  layers  of  it  form  the  inner  or  restraining  lining 
of  the  cover.  Between  this  fabric  and  the  rubber  tread  an 
endless  belt  of  threads  is  embedded  in  the  rubber  in  such  a  way 
as  to  prevent  the  undue  spreading  of  the  thick  rubber  tread 
when  it  is  in  contact  with  the  road.  Just  outside  this  belt  is 
embedded  a  thin  strip  of  red  rubber;  and  when  the  rubber  of  the 
tread  becomes  worn  down  so  that  this  red  strip  is  visible,  the 
user  knows  that  it  is  time  to  have  his  tyre  sent  to  the  works  to 
be  retreaded.  All  these  components  are  vulcanised  into  one 
fabric,  and  as  no  air  whatever  is  contained  in  the  cord  such  as 
is  retained  by  canvas  strips,  the  tyre  is  practically  impervious 
to  moisture  and  rot.  The  makers  claim  that  they  can  easily 
repair  the  tyre  by  taking  away  some  of  the  damaged  cords, 
inserting  new  ones,  and  vulcanising  the  whole.  The  remark- 
able success  of  a  set  of  Palmer  Cord  tyres  in  the  1904  English 
Eliminating  Trials  for  the  Gordon-Bennett  Race  is  a  proof  of  the 
wearing  and  puncture-resisting  qualities  of  this  tyre. 

Every  motorist  should  learn  how  to  repair  his  pneumatic 
tyres,  as  he  never  knows  when  a  puncture  may  find  him 
without  a  spare  tube,  and  far  from  the  reach  of  any  help.  As  a 
matter  of  ordinary  precaution  two  spare  tubes  should  always  be 
carried  and  one  spare  cover,  a  chamber  for  the  storage  of  which 
can  always  be  contrived  by  means  of  a  false  floor  in  the  tonneau 
of  the  car.  The  habit  of  carrying  spare  covers  lashed  to  the 
rear  of  the  car  like  life-buoys  is  not  only  very  ugly,  but  is  far 
from  good  for  the  tyre  itself. 

The  original  equipment  of  a  motor-car  should  therefore  be  six 
complete  tyres.  This  may  seem  extravagant,  but  like  so  many 
other  matters  of  initial  outlay,  it  means  economy  in  running 
expenses.  The  reason  for  having  two  spare  covers  is  that  the 
car  may  always  be  equipped  with  one  perfect  spare  cover.     For 


FABRIC  OF  THF  PALMFK  CORD  TVRK 

SHOWING    IMETHOD   OF    CUNS  IRUCTKlN    WITH    FI.AITENKD    CORU 


THE    PALMER   CORD   TYRE   AND   RLM 


CONCERNING   TYRES  249 

example,  if  a  bad  burst  or  cut  occurs,  the  spare  cover  carried 
in  the  car  should  be  put  on,  and  the  damaged  one  sent  away 
to  be  repaired.  The  second  spare  cover  should  then  be  carried 
in  the  car  until  the  repaired  one  comes  back,  when  it  may  be 
carried  as  a  spare  one,  and  the  unused  cover  returned  to  the 
store.  If  this  simple  rule  be  observed  the  motorist  will  never 
find  himself  without  a  spare  cover,  and  he  will  also  find  that 
the  life  of  his  tyres  is  prolonged.  It  is  a  very  good  plan  thus 
to  give  pneumatic  tyres  an  occasional  "  rest " ;  and  the  mileage 
of  which  a  tyre  that  is  occasionally  laid  by  is  capable  is  greatly 
in  excess  of  that  of  a  tyre  used  continuously. 

In  storing  pneumatic  tyres  it  should  be  remembered  that 
sunshine,  heat,  damp,  and  oil  are  their  greatest  enemies.  They 
should  be  laid  on  their  sides  in  a  dry,  cool  place,  and  in  a  dim 
light ;  they  should  be  covered  with  canvas,  and  the  inner  tubes 
should  be  given  a  little  air,  just  one  or  two  strokes  of  the  pump, 
in  order  to  keep  them  from  kinking  or  sticking.  The  best  way 
to  carry  spare  tubes  on  the  car  is  in  a  small  india-rubber  bag 
such  as  most  pneumatic  tyre  manufacturers  supply  for  the 
purpose.  They  should  be  carefully  folded  in  this,  or  else  laid 
lengthways  in  one  of  the  side  baskets  of  the  car,  care  being 
taken  to  see  that  no  heavy  articles  are  pressing  on  them,  and 
that  nothing  oily  is  anywhere  near  them.  The  repairing  of 
tyres  on  the  road  should,  if  the  system  I  have  described  be 
carried  out,  hardly  ever  be  necessary  ;  but  the  motorist  should 
be  careful  to  carry  a  proper  car-repairing  outfit,  and  to  see  from 
time  to  time  that  its  contents  are  in  proper  condition  ;  otherwise, 
when  he  needs  it  most,  he  may  find  that  his  stock  of  rubber 
solution  has  perished  or  mysteriously  dried  up. 

But  whether  on  the  road  or  in  the  motor-house  the  method 
of  repairing  pneumatic  tyres  is  the  same.  The  only  repairs 
which  I  recommend  the  motorist  to  make  himself  are  the 
patching  of  the  inner  tube,  the  filling  up  of  very  small  cuts 
in  the  outer  cover  which  have  not  penetrated  as  far  as  the 
canvas  or  other  fabric  of  the  tyre,  or  in  the  event  of  a  large 
gash  or  burst,  the  fitting  of  a  temporary  sleeve  or  bandage  over 
the  damaged  tyre  for  the  purpose  of  getting  the  car  home. 
All  further  damage,  such  as  deep  cuts  in  the  outer  cover,  bursts, 
blisters,  or  swellings  caused  by  dirt  working  through  cuts  in  the 
tyre  to  the  canvas  fabric,  or  actual  wear  of  the  tread  itself,  is 


250  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

a  matter  for  the  makers  of  the  tyre,  who  alone  can  repair  it 
efficiently  and  economically. 

We  will  take  the  commonest  trouble,  which  is  caused  by  the 
piercing  of  the  outer  cover  and  inner  tube  by  a  nail  or  other 
puncturing  agent.  Such  an  accident  causes  an  immediate 
deflation  of  the  tyre,  and  it  is  impossible  to  run  the  car  on  it 
without  doing  it  serious  damage.  The  first  thing  to  be  done 
is  to  jack  up  the  wheel  from  the  ground  by  placing  the  jack 
beneath  the  axle  spring  and  raising  it  until  the  wheel  is  well 
clear  of  the  ground.  If  the  wing  of  the  car  is  in  a  position 
where  it  impedes  one's  movements,  it  will  be  found  a  saving 
of  time  in  the  end  to  remove  it  before  beginning  the  repair. 
The  next  thing  is  to  locate  the  puncture  from  the  outside  of 
the  tyre  if  that  is  possible  ;  if  it  has  been  caused  by  an  ordinary 
nail,  the  nail  should  be  withdrawn  and  the  hole  marked  round 
with  a  piece  of  chalk  which  should  be  carried  with  the  repair 
outfit  for  that  purpose.  The  wing  nuts,  by  which  the  tyre  is 
attached  to  the  wheel,  should  then  be  removed  and  put  in  a 
safe  place,  and  the  air-valve  unscrewed.  The  outer  cover  should 
then  be  removed  in  the  way  illustrated  at  the  end  of  this 
chapter,  care  being  taken  to  use  the  special  tyre  levers  provided 
by  the  makers  of  the  tyre,  and  so  to  use  them  that  the  inner 
tube  is  never  either  jammed  against  the  rim  or  nipped  between 
the  point  of  the  lever  and  the  outer  cover.  One  edge  of  the 
cover  is  first  prized  over  the  rim,  and  then,  by  the  insertion 
of  levers  at  intervals  throughout  its  circumference,  the  whole 
of  one  edge  of  the  cover  is  brought  over  the  rim.  The  other 
edge  of  the  cover  is  then  worked  over  the  rim  if  it  is  desired 
to  take  off  the  cover  altogether ;  otherwise  the  inner  tube  can 
easily  be  removed  after  one  edge  has  been  lifted  over  the  rim. 

When  the  inner  tube  has  been  freed  the  puncture  ought  to 
be  visible  if  it  was  marked  on  the  outside  of  the  tyre ;  other- 
wise it  will  have  to  be  located  by  inflating  the  tyre  and  examin- 
ing it  carefully  until  the  place  where  the  air  is  escaping  is 
found.  When  it  has  been  discovered  the  tyre  should  be  placed 
flat  on  a  smooth  piece  of  wood  and  the  surface  round  the 
puncture  rubbed  with  a  piece  of  emery  paper  held  round  some 
smooth  object,  such  as  a  lever  or  spanner.  The  surface  should 
be  rubbed  until  it  is  quite  rough  and  clean  for  some  distance 
round    the   puncture.      The   cleaned    surface    should    then    be 


CONCERNING   TYRES  251 

covered  with  rubber  solution.  A  piece  of  patching  rubber,  the 
very  thin  rubber  sheeting  supplied  with  the  outfit,  should  then 
be  cut  to  the  size  of  the  solutioned  surface,  and  a  patch  of 
thicker  rubber  should  also  be  cut  of  a  very  slightly  larger  size. 

The  solution  on  the  tyre  will  have  dried  well  by  this  time,  so 
another  coating  of  solution  should  be  applied  to  it.  This  in 
turn  should  be  left  to  dry  for  five  minutes,  and  then  a  third 
coating  of  solution  should  be  applied.  While  this  is  drying  the 
thin  rubber  patch  should  be  coated  with  solution  on  both  sides, 
and  the  outer  patch  coated  on  one  side.  When  the  solution  on  the 
tube  is  in  a  dry  and  sticky  condition  the  small  patch  should  be 
applied  to  it  and  the  outer  patch  pressed  well  down  over  that 
by  means  of  the  tyre  lever  or  a  piece  of  wood.  The  repair 
should  then  be  spread  well  over  with  French  chalk,  so  that  the 
tube  will  not  stick  to  the  cover. 

To  repair  the  outer  cover,  if  the  puncturing  nail  was  a  thin 
one,  it  will  be  enough  to  patch  the  inside  of  the  cover  with 
a  piece  of  solutioned  canvas.  In  case  of  a  burst  or  very  bad 
gash  the  Continental  Tyre  Company  and  the  Dunlop  Company 
recommend  the  use  of  their  leather  sleeves,  which  are  applied 
over  the  whole  tyre  and  rim  when  the  tyre  has  been  put  back 
into  place  and  slightly  inflated.  The  cover  is  then  laced  up 
tight  and  the  tyre  fully  inflated.  This  device  will  be  found  very 
useful  in  cases  where  a  spare  cover  is  not  carried.  For  very  bad 
gashes,  where  the  cover  has  been  cut  by  a  large  flint  and 
the  inner  tube  has  burst  right  through  it,  the  Continental  Tyre 
Company  have  supplied  a  special  plaster  which  is  placed  on  the 
inside  of  the  cover  under  the  damaged  place.  This  is  provided 
with  ends  which  overlap  the  edges  of  the  cover,  and  it  is  kept  in 
place,  not  only  by  solution,  but  also  by  the  pressure  of  the  inner 
tube  against  it.  When  the  tyre  has  been  replaced  and  slightly 
inflated,  the  Continental  "  cover  plaster,"  a  kind  of  long  band  or 
puttie,  is  wound  round  the  tyre.  This  is  done  by  buckling  one 
end  of  the  puttie  to  a  spoke  some  distance  on  one  side  of  the 
puncture  and  winding  it  like  a  surgical  bandage  round  and 
round  the  tyre  and  rim,  the  other  end  being  buckled  to  the 
nearest  spoke.  In  applying  this  bandage  care  should  be  taken 
so  to  wind  it  that  each  coil  overlaps  the  previous  one ;  and  also 
that  the  winding  begins  on  the  rear  side  of  the  puncture 
(supposing  the  wheel  to  be  turned  so  that  the  puncture  is  at  the 


252  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

top)  and  finished  on  the  forward  side  of  it.  The  action  of  the 
road  will  then  tend  to  smooth  down  the  bandage  instead  of 
tearing  it  up  and  fraying  the  edge  of  each  separate  coil.  The 
tyre  should  be  pumped  up  to  its  full  extent  after  the  bandage  is 
put  in  place. 

In  replacing  a  tyre  after  it  has  been  repaired  even  more  care 
is  necessary  than  in  taking  it  off,  otherwise  the  inner  tube 
is  almost  sure  to  get  nipped  between  the  rim  and  the  outer 
cover,  when  a  burst  is  sure  to  take  place.  There  is  also  the 
danger  of  nipping  or  cutting  it  with  the  end  of  the  lever. 

To  replace  a  tyre  the  inner  tube  should  be  inflated  with  a  few 
strokes  of  the  pump  and  then  placed  in  the  cover,  great  care 
being  taken  that  no  dirt,  grit,  or  foreign  substance  has  got 
into  the  outer  cover.  Then  put  the  tyre  on  the  rim,  first 
putting  the  valve  through  the  hole  provided  for  it.  One  edge 
of  the  cover  may  then  be  pressed  with  the  hand  into  the  rim, 
the  studs  as  they  are  inserted  into  their  holes  being  pulled 
outwards  towards  the  hub.  When  no  more  of  the  tyre  can  be 
pressed  in  with  the  hand,  the  levers  must  be  used  until  the  whole 
of  one  edge  of  the  tyre  is  within  the  rim.  It  will  then  be  found 
that  the  edge  of  the  tyre  is  seated  in  the  studs  instead  of  be- 
tween them  and  the  rim  ;  and  this  must  be  put  right  by  levering 
the  edge  of  the  tyre  outwards  over  each  stud  in  turn  while  the 
stud  is  thrust  upwards  for  this  purpose.  Before  proceeding  to 
attach  the  other  side  of  the  cover,  the  hand  should  be  run  round 
the  tyre  between  the  inner  tube  and  the  stud  to  make  sure  that 
the  tube  has  not  been  nipped.  The  other  edge  of  the  tyre  may 
then  be  put  in  place  by  means  of  the  special  lever.  When  the 
outer  cover  is  in  place  the  studs  should  be  tested  ;  this  is  done 
by  pushing  them  up  and  down,  the  wing  nuts  having  previously 
been  screwed  on  to  the  ends  by  a  few  threads,  when  if  no  great 
resistance  is  felt  to  the  pushing  in  of  the  studs,  it  may  be 
assumed  that  the  inner  tube  is  properly  in  place.  If  there  is 
any  obstruction,  the  outer  cover  should  be  lifted  slightly  at 
that  point  with  the  lever  and  manipulated  until  the  inner  tube 
is  free.  The  valve  and  nuts  should  then  be  tightened,  care 
being  taken  to  do  this  by  hand  only  and  not  with  tools,  after 
which  the  tyre  may  be  fully  inflated  and  the  valve  and  nuts 
given  a  final  turn  to  ensure  their  being  tight.  The  jack  may 
then  be  removed  and  the  wheel  is  again  ready  for  the  road. 


DETACHING  COVER  :  THE  HAND  HEI.l'IXf. 
THE  LEVEK  TO  TUSH  THE  TYKE  OUT 
OF    THE    RIM 


2.    THE   LEVEl;    RAISING  THE   COVER 
0\ER   THE   EDGE   OF   THE  RIM 


THE   HAND   HELPING  THE   I.EVER  TO  PULL 
THE  COVER   DOWN,  OUTSIDE  THE   RI.M 


RE-FIXING  :  THE  HOOKED  END  OF 
THE  LEVER  LIFTING  THE  COVER 
INTO    THE   RIM 


MANIPULATION    OF   DUNLOP   TYRES 


5.  A  FAULT  OF  NEGLIGENT  ATTACH- 
MENT :  A  RLM  BOLT  I'REVENTLSG 
THE  EDGE  OF  THE  COVER  SLIP- 
PING  INTO    I'LACE 


6.  ANoTHF.N  fault:  AIK-TLHE  P.ECOMING 
NIPPED    UNDER    KLM    BOLT 


HO\V  THE  KLM  BOLT,  BV  BEING  PUSHED 
INTO  THE  TYKE  BEFORE  BEING 
SCREWED  DOWN,  ALLOWS  THE 
COVER  AND  TUBE  TO  FIT  PROPERLY 
INTO    POSITION 


THE   TYRE   CORRECTLY    FITTED 


-MAMPUI.ATIOX    OF    DL'Xl.OP   TYRES 


CONCERNING   TYRES  253 


PUNCTURES    AND    SIDE-SLIP 


The  soft,  smooth  surface  of  a  pneumatic  tyre,  which  renders 
it  so  liable  to  puncture,  is  also  on  smooth  and  greasy  pavements 
a  fruitful  cause  of  that  most  dangerous  form  of  accident  on 
a  motor-car,  side-slip.  The  action  of  the  steering  and  the  slope 
of  the  road  tend  to  induce  a  lateral  movement  in  the  body 
of  the  car,  which  the  smooth  tyres  of  the  wheels  are  powerless 
to  arrest ;  the  result,  unless  the  movement  is  checked,  is  that 
the  car  swings  sideways  into  the  nearest  kerbstone,  shop 
window,  or  omnibus,  as  the  case  may  be.  Various  devices  have 
been  designed  to  prevent  side-slip  and  at  the  same  time  to 
protect  the  tyre  from  puncture.  Nearly  all  of  these  take  the 
form  of  a  band  vulcanised  (or  laced)  to  the  tread  of  the  tyre, 
the  surface  of  the  band  being  in  some  way  roughened  to  give  it 
a  grip  of  the  road.  In  the  Wilkinson  band  and  the  See  band, 
both  of  which  are  largely  used,  the  necessary  roughness  is 
provided  by  a  number  of  metal  studs  or  fine  wires  fastened 
into  the  band,  which  bite  through  mud  and  grease,  and  at 
the  same  time  form  an  armour  round  the  tyre  to  protect  it  from 
puncture. 

A  unique  device,  and  one  that  has  proved  thoroughly  success- 
ful as  a  preventive  of  side-slip,  is  the  Parsons  chain.  This  con- 
sists of  two  wire  hoops  encircling  the  rim  of  the  wheel  on  each 
side  of  the  tyre,  and  joined  together  across  the  tread  by  a  series 
of  small,  flat  curb-chains.  These  chains  are  arranged  in  zigzag, 
and  so  bite  the  surface  of  the  road  if  the  wheel  makes  the  least 
movement  sideways.  They  are  quite  loosely  fixed,  and  are  free 
to  creep  round  the  wheel  as  it  rolls ;  thus  the  wear  of  the 
rubbing  chains  is  distributed  evenly  round  the  tyre,  and  is  found 
in  practice  to  damage  it  but  little.  Although  these  chains  are 
unsightly  and  somewhat  expensive,  and  may  in  some  hands  be 
troublesome  to  take  on  and  off  in  the  event  of  any  adjustment 
having  to  be  made  to  the  tyre,  they  are  an  absolute  protection 
from  side-slip,  while  their  effect  on  the  speed  of  the  tyre  is 
practically  fiil. 

Another  mechanical  device  for  preventing  side-slip  consists 
of  an  arm  which  projects  downwards  from  the  back  of  the  car 
to  the  road  surface,  carrying  at  its  extremity  a  small  wheel. 
From  its  upper  end  two  side  arms  diverge  outwards  and  down- 


254  THE   COMPLETE    MOTORIST 

wards  ;  and  so  long  as  the  car  is  travelling  forwards  or  back- 
wards these  arms  are  kept  clear  of  the  road.  But  if  the  rear  of 
the  car  begins  to  slip  sideways,  the  lateral  nnovement  causes  the 
arm  on  the  side  towards  which  the  car  is  tending  to  slip  to 
engage  with  the  road  surface,  and  to  arrest  the  lateral  move- 
ment.  This  device,  although  it  is  not  widely  adopted,  has  been 
used  with  great  success.  Other  non-slipping  devices  consist  of 
steel  plates  fastened  on  each  side  of  the  rim  of  the  wheel, 
armour  plates  linked  together  over  the  surface  of  the  tyre  (as 
in  the  device  known  as  "  I'Empereur,"  which  secured  the  gold 
medal  in  the  Automobile  Club's  trials  of  non-slipping  devices 
in  1904),  and  discs  engaging  with  the  road  surface.  Nearly  all 
of  these  have  their  peculiar  disadvantages,  such  as  cost,  weight, 
and  absence  of  wearing  qualities.  Perhaps  the  best  plan  so  far 
is  to  have  simple  bands,  such  as  the  See,  fitted  to  the  near  rear 
wheel  and  the  off  front  wheel,  if  only  two  bands  are  to  be  fitted  ; 
otherwise,  to  have  the  whole  four  wheels  fitted. 

It  is  a  good  plan  to  equip  the  rear  wheels  of  all  touring  cars 
with  nail-catchers.  These  consist  of  light  metal  shields  so  fixed 
that  they  just  touch  the  surface  of  the  tyres  at  their  rearmost 
point,  a  light  spring  holding  them  in  contact.  Any  nail  or 
other  puncturing  agent  picked  up  by  the  tyre  is  thus  rubbed  off 
before  it  has  been  worked  into  the  fabric  by  successive  revolu- 
tions of  the  wheel.  There  is  naturally  no  evidence  to  show  how 
many  punctures  have  been  prevented  by  this  device  ;  but  very 
few  motorists  who  have  ever  used  it  would  willingly  be  with- 
out it. 


CHAPTER   XII 
ACCESSORIES   AND   LITERATURE 

The  delusion  of  the  accessory — A  buttress  to  enthusiasm — Concerning  lamps — The 
right  and  the  wrong  kind— Horns  and  their  uses — Beware  of  the  speed  recorder — 
The  time  superstition — A  better  way — Clothing  for  motorists — Odds  and  ends — 
The  Autocar  and  the  motor  movement — The  Automotor  Journal — The  Motor 
Car  Jotonal — The  Car  and  its  editor — A  triumph  of  personality — Motoring 
Ilhistrated^T'he  Motor  and  men  of  moderate  means — The  Motor  A^ews  and  the 
Motor  Car  World — The  Club  Journal. 

IT  is  one  of  the  snares  and  pleasures  of  motoring  as  a  recrea- 
tion that  the  purchase  of  the  motor-car  itself  is  only  a 
preliminary,  and  is  far  from  representing  the  motorist's  complete 
equipment.  The  accessory  and  the  important  part  it  plays  in 
any  pastime  have  yet  to  be  done  justice  to;  at  present  we  all 
seem  to  combine  in  pretending  that  the  accessory  is  merely  an 
accessory,  and  nothing  more.  But  people  who  have  been 
possessed  by  the  various  rages  and  fads  that  succeed  one 
another  in  popular  entertainment  know  in  their  hearts  how 
serious  and  how  fateful  a  thing  the  accessory  may  be.  It  comes 
humbly  in  the  guise  of  a  mere  detail,  a  useful  and  innocent 
supplement  to  the  principal  affair ;  it  ends  as  often  as  not 
triumphant  and  essential,  diverting  to  its  own  use  the  funds, 
the  time,  and  the  affections  that  had  been  destined  for  more 
important  ends. 

I  remember  in  my  bicycling  experience  the  whole  evolution 
of  my  interests  ;  how  I  began  by  being  pleased  enough  with  a 
naked  bicycle  and  with  exhausting  myself  in  its  proper  and 
legitimate  function.  Then  came  the  days  when  I  took  an 
overwhelming  interest,  not  so  much  in  riding  the  bicycle,  as  in 
decking  and  loading  it  with  a  full  equipment  of  all  the  un- 
necessary things  that  the  mind  of  the  accessory  dealer  could 

255 


256  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

devise.  Rim  brakes,  patent  saddles,  oil-cans  (how  many  oil- 
cans have  I  not  owned  ! ),  bells,  cyclometers,  and  so  forth — my 
interest  was  diverted  to  these,  my  pocket-money  also.  Then 
came  a  day  when,  having  grown  quite  tired  of  bicycling  as  an 
amusement,  I  could  not  bring  myself  to  mount  the  machine 
unless  I  had  some  new  accessory  to  act  as  a  whet  to  my  jaded 
appetite  for  cycling.  At  first  a  brightly-plated  spanner,  a 
patent  oil-can,  an  "  adjustable  "  lamp  bracket,  would  suffice,  and 
the  knowledge  that  I  carried  them  on  the  machine  would  buoy 
me  up  throughout  a  morning's  pedalling.  But  afterwards  more 
elaborate  excitants  became  necessary,  and  patent  fork-expanders 
and  "speedometers"  were  pressed  into  the  service.  The  original 
cost  of  a  new  machine  had  by  this  time  been  far  exceeded  by 
that  of  the  confusion  of  accessories  that  now  disguised  my  old 
one ;  and  daily  the  price  which  I  must  pay  for  the  desire  to 
mount  my  bicycle  grew  higher  and  higher,  until  the  climax  was 
reached  when  I  rode  about  after  dusk  with  a  small  dynamo 
geared  to  my  front  wheel  beaming  an  electric  path  in  front 
of  me. 

The  latter  days  of  the  bicycle  furnished  a  moral.  I  gave  it  to 
the  youth  who  looked  after  my  motor-car,  and  he  stripped  it 
naked  to  the  rims,  cleared  it  of  the  mud-guards,  patent  brakes, 
clips,  stays,  springs,  and  fixings  with  which  I  had  loaded  it,  and 
— rode  it ;  and  it  may  still  be  seen  about  the  roads  and  lanes  of 
Epsom,  leading  in  its  old  age  the  honourable  and  useful  exist- 
ence of  a  bicycle. 

The  moral  of  this  tale  is  that  the  occupation  which  is  merely 
a  hobby  will  ultimately  be  devoured  and  destroyed  by  its 
parasite  accessories.  I  had  no  real  use  for  a  bicycle,  and  so 
I  tired  of  it ;  and  I  have  observed  the  same  state  of  affairs  to 
exist  among  people  who  dally  with  photography,  but  who  do 
not  work  at  it.  The  photographic  parasite  is  even  more  deadly, 
numerous,  and  expensive  than  that  of  the  bicycle.  The  photo- 
graphic hobby  begins  with  cameras,  plates,  and  photographs ; 
it  ends  in  a  ruinous  litter  of  patent  cameras,  feather-weight 
stands,  lightning  shutters,  films,  chemicals,  lamps,  dishes,  print- 
ing frames,  stirring  rods,  mount  cutters,  hundreds  of  mounts 
and  printing  papers,  albums  and  negative  cases — but  no  photo- 
graphs. What  it  would  be  in  the  case  of  motoring  if  that  were 
merely  a  hobby  and  amusement  I  shudder  to  think.    Fortunately, 


ACCESSORIES   AND   LITERATURE  257 

it  is  rational  and  useful ;  and  fortunately,  also,  it  is  expensive 
enough  not  to  be  enterprised  nor  taken  in  hand  lightly,  un- 
advisedly, nor  wantonly. 

The  things  that  are  absolutely  essential  adjuncts  to  the 
motor-car  itself  ought  to  afford  quite  a  large  enough  field  for 
the  activities  of  the  most  extravagant.  There  are  lamps,  for 
example.  You  may  very  easily  spend  £^^0  on  a  set  of  lamps 
with  the  assurance  that  if  you  are  tired  of  them  in  six  months 
it  will  be  quite  easy  to  spend  another  ^^30  on  more  lamps  of 
a  newer  pattern.  But  this  is  quite  unnecessary.  The  blinding 
search -lights  used  on  some  cars  are  both  disagreeable  and 
dangerous,  and  render  everything  outside  their  field  absolutely 
invisible.  For  ordinary  starlight  or  moonlight  nights  two  good 
paraffin  lamps  are  all  that  is  necessary  for  a  car  that  travels 
at  less  than  thirty  miles  an  hour.  On  dark  nights  it  is  advisable, 
when  driving  in  the  country,  to  carry  on  such  cars  a  single 
headlight  of  greater  power ;  and  there  are  several  good  carbide 
lamps  on  the  market  costing  from  £2  to  £10  that  will  fulfil  this 
purpose.  Carbide  lamps  give  a  beautiful  light  when  they  are 
working  properly,  but  they  need  a  great  deal  of  attention,  and 
are  very  dirty  and  noisome  to  work  with.  I  advise  the  motorist 
in  any  case  only  to  use  carbide  lamps  which  are  entirely  self- 
contained  and  which  do  not  need  separate  generators.  The 
tubing  in  connection  with  these  is  almost  sure  to  give  trouble, 
and  the  lamps  which  may  go  for  months  at  a  time  unlit  are 
almost  certain  to  be  exhausted  when  they  are  needed  most.  A 
kind  of  lamp  also  to  be  avoided  is  that  in  which  there  is  no 
tap  for  turning  off  the  gas,  so  that  the  user  has  to  guess  by  the 
amount  of  water  which  he  puts  in  how  long  the  lamp  will  burn, 
with  the  result  that  it  either  goes  out  before,  or  continues  to 
burn  long  after,  he  has  finished  with  it.  On  very  fast  cars  two 
of  these  headlights  should  be  carried  and  always  used  after 
dark  ;  but  as  the  driving  of  fast  cars  on  dark  nights  is  a  very 
dangerous  thing  to  do,  so  much  light  should  seldom  be  neces- 
sary. The  best  tail-light  is  a  simple  paraffin  lamp  with  a 
fairly  large  and  loose  wick  ;  but  as  there  is  much  jolting  at  the 
rear  end  of  the  car,  tail-lamps  should  have  such  springs  that 
it  is  impossible  for  them  to  jolt  out,  the  result  of  which  may 
be  a  heavy  fine. 

I  am  surprised  that  more  attention  has  not  been  paid  to  the 
s 


258  THE   COMPLETE    MOTORIST 

lighting  of  motor-car  lamps  by  electricity,  which  is  so  very 
clean  and  simple  a  method.  Upon  any  car  of  over  lO  h.p. 
which  is  used  much  at  night  it  would  be  well  worth  while  to 
fit  a  small  dynamo  and  accumulator,  the  dynamo  being  ar- 
ranged so  as  to  be  easily  thrown  out  of  gear  during  the  day. 
The  first  cost  of  this  would  not  be  greater  than  a  full  set  of 
oil  and  carbide  lamps,  and  its  cost  of  maintenance  would  be 
much  less,  while  the  power  absorbed  would  be  unimportant. 
On  very  small  and  cheap  cars  where  simplicity  is  the  first  con- 
sideration, such  an  arrangement  would  be  unsuitable,  but  on 
large  cars  it  would  be  a  practical  economy  and  would  be  really 
simpler  than  all  the  troublesome  paraphernalia  of  carbide  lamps. 
Even  in  such  things  as  horns  the  motorist  has  an  immense 
range  of  choice,  and  an  immense  power  of  making  himself 
disagreeable  if  he  so  chooses.  The  note  of  the  motor-horn  is 
not  beautiful ;  it  is,  indeed,  hideous ;  but  it  seems  so  far  to  be 
the  best  and  safest  device  for  attracting  the  attention  of  the 
other  users  of  the  road.  It  is  better  than  a  shrill  railway 
whistle,  and  a  bell  which  would  be  loud  enough  to  serve  the 
same  purpose  would  be  even  more  disagreeable.  The  gongs 
used  on  some  small  and  silent  cars  are  very  musical  and 
pleasant  to  listen  to,  but  unfortunately  they  do  not  always 
attract  the  foot-passenger's  attention  quickly  enough  ;  and  upon 
that  trial  of  the  motorist's  patience,  the  deaf  and  leisurely  old 
gentleman,  their  silvery  chime  is  entirely  without  effect.  With 
regard  to  horns,  it  is  better  to  have  a  large  horn  than  a  small 
one ;  its  deep  and  gruff  note  is  less  offensive  than  the  squeak 
of  the  little  horn,  and  it  can  be  sounded  quite  gently  if  neces- 
sary. For  cars,  however,  which  travel  at  a  higher  speed  than 
forty  miles  an  hour  the  ordinary  horn  with  a  bulb  adjustment 
is  insufficient,  as  the  rush  of  wind  into  the  mouth  of  the  horn 
prevents  the  shor-t  intermittent  sound  from  carrying.  For  this 
purpose  a  prolonged  blast  of  not  too  low  a  pitch  is  necessary 
for  the  public  safety — that  is  to  say,  if  you  are  the  sort  of 
person  who  travels  at  more  than  forty  miles  where  people  are 
likely  to  be  in  the  way.  If  you  are,  my  only  advice  is  that  you 
should  have  a  connection  from  the  exhaust  pipe  led  into  a 
small  reservoir  and  thence  into  the  horn,  so  that  on  turning 
a  tap  a  prolonged  hoot  will  be  emitted.  And  I  hope  you  will 
be  heard  and  seen  of  the  police. 


ACCESSORIES   AND   LITERATURE  259 

There  is  no  end  to  the  number  of  fittings  which  the  enthu- 
siast may  have  upon  his  dashboard — most  of  them  very  costly 
and  of  doubtful  utility.  But  a  good  carriage  clock  is  a  necessity, 
while  a  gradometer,  for  measuring  the  gradients  over  which  the 
car  is  travelling,  is  a  rather  interesting  accessory  to  a  touring 
car.  There  are  "  speedometers  "  now  made  which  I  believe  are 
very  accurate  and  trustworthy  in  recording  in  miles  per  hour 
the  rate  at  which  the  car  is  travelling  ;  but  I  doubt  whether 
they  give  much  pleasure  to  the  average  owner  of  a  car.  With- 
out their  cold  correction  he  probably  estimates  his  top  speed 
at  at  least  five  miles  an  hour  more  than  the  actual  rate  of 
travel ;  and  if  it  pleases  him  to  do  so  it  does  no  one  any  harm. 
But  with  the  machine  on  his  dashboard  he  is  forced  to  accep 
the  correction  of  facts,  or  else  doubt  the  accuracy  of  the  instru- 
ment ;  and  it  is  poor  comfort  to  depreciate  a  thing  for  which 
you  have  paid  ;^io  or  ^^15.  Indeed  such  is  the  invincible  belief 
of  the  average  motorist  in  the  speed  of  his  car  that  I  cannot 
imagine  that  these  instruments  are  regarded  by  their  owners 
with  much  favour — unless  some  genius  has  devised  one  that 
always  adds  ten  per  cent,  to  the  actual  speed  attained.  I  have 
so  often  sat  beside  the  owners  of  cars  and  at  their  request  timed 
them  over  several  miles  that  I  have  no  little  experience  in  the 
psychology  of  this  time-superstition.  It  is  a  strange  fact  that 
when  I  have  been  thus  testing  the  speed  of  any  car  it  has  never 
been  doing  its  best ;  and  cars  that  did  fifty  miles  an  hour  only 
the  day  before,  have  never  been  able  to  approach  forty-five 
when  I  have  been  on  them.  As  mile  after  mile  has  been  re- 
corded under  every  favourable  condition  of  road  at  a  speed 
humiliatingly  at  variance  with  the  boasted  achievements  of 
yesterday,  and  as  the  driver's  excuses  and  explanations  have 
become  more  and  more  feeble,  I  have  often,  out  of  sheer 
embarrassment,  deducted  some  seconds  from  the  actual  time 
with  a  view  to  putting  the  discomfited  driver  out  of  his  misery. 
But  the  optimism  of  most  men  in  such  circumstances  is  in- 
vincible ;  and  when  every  other  excuse  has  failed,  I  have  been 
solemnly  assured  that  "  the  milestones  must  be  wrong."  The 
only  exception  to  this  rule  seems  to  be  in  the  case  of  police 
prosecution  ;  and  even  then  the  powers  of  slowness  attributed 
by  some  motorists  to  their  cars  are  on  the  same  finely  imagina- 
tive scale.     On  the  whole  I  do  not  advise  the  ordinary  motorist 


260  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

to  have  a  speed  recorder.  An  old  watch  that  loses  a  few 
seconds  in  every  minute  will  give  far  more  satisfactory  results, 
and  provide,  at  a  trifling  cost,  a  deal  of  innocent  pleasure. 

The  kind  of  clothes  one  wears  when  motoring  is  important. 
It  is  evidently  thought  by  some  motorists  (with  a  propriety  of 
which  they  are  quite  unconscious)  that  it  is  necessary  to  dress 
themselves  in  hideous  garments  ;  hence  the  black  leather  coat, 
the  black  leather  breeches,  the  black  leather  cap.  As  a  matter 
of  fact  it  is  possible  for  the  motorist  to  wear  clothes  of  ordinary 
cut  and  appearance ;  but  for  travelling  in  any  but  the  warmest 
weather  it  is  absolutely  necessary  that  they  should  be  lined 
with  some  substance  which  is  impervious  to  wind,  such  as 
chamois  leather.  The  use  of  mackintoshes  or  capes  that  might 
blow  up  against  the  face  should  be  avoided  by  the  drivers  of 
motor-cars ;  and  for  wet  weather  there  is  nothing  like  the 
oxd\x\2sy  parapluie,  with  a  rubber  neck  and  wristbands.  Leather 
leggings  make  the  best  protection  for  the  lower  limbs,  as  the 
use  of  a  rug  is  practically  impossible,  or  at  any  rate  rather 
unsafe  for  the  man  who  is  driving,  as  the  rug  may  get  jammed 
below  one  of  the  pedals  at  an  awkward  moment.  It  is  quite 
possible,  however,  to  arrange  a  leather  apron  that  can  be 
hooked  to  the  dashboard  clear  of  the  pedals  and  fastened  to 
the  seat.  In  wet  weather  this  is  an  excellent  protection. 
Goggles  are,  unhappily,  almost  a  necessity  when  travelling 
at  any  but  the  lowest  speeds  ;  and,  unlovely  as  they  are  to 
look  upon,  it  is  better  to  be  able  to  keep  one's  eyes  open  and 
see  what  is  going  on,  even  at  the  cost  of  temporary  disfigure- 
ment, than  to  screw  them  up  and  see  nothing.  The  clouds  of 
gnats  and  flies  that  hang  in  summer  just  at  the  elevation  at 
which  one's  head  passes  when  one  is  driving  in  a  motor-car  are 
both  unpleasant  and  dangerous — unpleasant  if  they  get  into 
your  mouth  and  dangerous  if  they  get  into  your  eyes.  For 
ordinary  wear  the  goggles  made  of  thin  convex  glass  surrounded 
by  an  edging  of  thin  silk  are  quite  sufficient ;  but  for  very  fast 
travelling  the  heavier  glasses  in  a  ventilated  metal  framework 
and  with  a  light  leather  mask  attached  are  safer  and  better. 

On  the  sacred  subject  of  dress  for  women,  even  when  they 
are  motoring,  I  do  not  venture  to  speak  ;  my  impression  is  that 
long  before  even  the  kind  of  motor-car  to  be  bought  has  been 
decided  upon  a  woman  will  have  purchased  a  complete  outfit  of 


ACCESSORIES   AND   LITERATURE  261 

coats,  hats,  and  veils.  From  what  I  see  in  the  motoring  papers 
which  devote  themselves  to  such  matters,  I  do  not  think  that 
much  advice  or  assistance  is  needed. 

It  is  in  the  very  small  accessories,  however,  the  mere  quality 
of  which  would  to  some  people  appear  to  be  unimportant,  that 
the  difference  between  the  well  and  badly  equipped  motor-car  is 
seen.  Just  as  in  the  case  of  a  well-found  yacht,  where  the 
quality  and  condition  of  anchors,  cables,  decks,  seams,  brass- 
work,  lockers,  and  fenders  reveal  the  careful  or  careless  owner, 
so  in  a  motor-car  attention  to  details  is  generally  the  best 
evidence  of  care  and  attention  to  more  important  points.  The 
arrangement  of  lockers  inside  the  tonneau  of  the  car,  for 
instance,  may  have  much  to  do  with  the  comfort  or  discomfort 
of  the  passengers.  If  bundles  of  oily  waste  and  the  inevitable 
half-tin  of  lubricating  oil  are  found  invading  the  space  which 
should  be  altogether  at  the  disposal  of  passengers,  inconvenience 
and  dirt  are  sure  to  result.  There  is  nothing  in  which  the 
petty  virtue  of  orderliness  is  so  necessary,  or  where  the  absence 
of  it  is  so  disastrous,  as  in  a  motor-car ;  and  proper  and  exclu- 
sive accommodation  should  be  provided  for  such  things  as  tools, 
tyre  materials,  oil,  and  spare  parts  of  every  description,  without 
encroaching  on  the  lockers  and  pockets  that  ought  to  be  re- 
served for  the  personal  belongings  of  the  passengers. 

The  disposal  of  all  these  matters  and  the  provision  of  suitable 
accessories  make  a  very  pleasant  part  of  the  motorist's  occupa- 
tions. Even  such  a  thing  as  a  jack  (which  ought  always  to 
be  carried)  affords  scope  for  ingenuity  or  the  reverse.  Jacks 
should  be  as  light,  as  strong,  and  as  small  as  possible.  All  that 
they  are  wanted  for  is  to  lift  the  car  a  few  inches  from  the 
ground,  and  they  should  be  of  the  kind  that  acts  through  a 
screwing  motion  and  not  by  means  of  pressure  on  a  lever. 
Some  people  carry  them  underneath  the  body  of  the  car  and 
just  at  the  rear,  but  they  are  almost  sure  to  get  dirty  and  rusty 
here,  and  may  not  improbably  be  dropped  off  or  forgotten.  It 
is  better  to  keep  them  in  a  cupboard  inside  the  car.  The  tyre 
pump  should  be  carried  in  a  conspicuous  place — for  instance  in 
the  clips  on  the  inside  panelling  of  the  car  ;  it  should  be  of 
ample  size,  and  have  a  pressure  gauge  attached  showing  the 
pressure  of  air  pumped  into  the  tyre.  But  the  back-breaking 
work  of  pumping  pneumatic  tyres  is  a  thing  which  no  wise  man 


262  THE   COMPLETE    MOTORIST 

will  do  if  he  can  get  it  done  for  him  mechanically.  On  steam 
cars  having  an  auxiliary  air  pump  it  is  easy  to  fit  a  connection 
for  blowing  up  the  tyres,  but  the  petrol  car  was  for  long  with- 
out any  such  device.  This  want  is  now  filled,  however,  by  a  small 
fitting  called  the  "  Pompeesi,"  which  is  attached  to  the  frame  of 
the  car  near  the  engine.  A  coiled  copper  pipe  is  led  to  it  from 
the  cylinder,  and  when  the  engine  is  running  the  small  cylinder 
of  the  "  Pompeesi "  is  thus  filled  with  exhaust  gases  under 
pressure.  By  a  series  of  circulating  plates  inside  the  cylinder  a 
centrifugal  movement  is  imparted  to  the  gases  by  means  of 
which  they  are  freed  from  any  foreign  matter ;  and  a  rubber 
tube  connected  to  the  cylinder  delivers  the  pressure  to  the  tyre. 
The  carbonic  acid  in  the  exhaust  gases  has  no  bad  effect  on 
the  tyres,  and  is  even  said  to  be  beneficial  to  them.  This  is  one 
of  the  many  simple  ways  in  which  the  waste  power  contained  in 
the  exhaust  gases  of  the  petrol  motor  can  be  used  with  great 
advantage. 

Membership  of  the  Automobile  Club  is  perhaps  not  so  much 
a  duty  of  motorists  as  it  was  in  the  early  days,  for  the  club  is 
now  strong  and  independent.  But  if  it  is  no  longer  a  duty  it  is 
still  a  privilege  and  an  advantage.  The  officials  of  the  club  are 
always  more  than  ready  to  give  every  advice  and  assistance  to 
motorists ;  and  for  those  who  take  their  motor-cars  abroad 
membership  of  the  Automobile  Club  is  almost  a  necessity, 
simplifying  as  it  does  the  otherwise  elaborate  and  costly 
formalities  which  are  imposed  on  the  other  side  of  the  Channel. 
The  various  trials  arranged  by  the  club  are  also  of  great  practi- 
cal value,  as  well  as  being  of  interest  to  the  amateur  ;  there  is 
indeed  always  something  going  on  in  connection  with  the  club 
to  provide  the  enthusiast  with  amusement,  occupation,  or  in- 
struction. 

And  last,  but  not  least,  there  are  the  weekly  automobile 
papers,  some  of  which  it  is  advisable,  in  the  changing  conditions 
of  the  industry,  that  every  motorist  should  read.  The  chief  of 
these  is  the  Autocar,  which  was  established  in  the  year  1895  W 
Mr.  Henry  Sturmey,  at  a  time  when  it  was  not  lawful  to  drive 
motor-cars  on  the  road  at  a  pace  exceeding  four  miles  an  hour, 
and  when  it  was  necessary  that  a  man  with  a  red  flag  should 
walk  in  front.  The  paper,  modest  as  its  proportions  were  in 
those  early  days,  was  severely  ridiculed  ;  and,  as  the  foremost 


THE   'POMPEESI"   TVRE-INFLATIXG   DEVICE 


ACCESSORIES    AND   LITERATURE  263 

question  then  was  how  to  get  the  law  altered,  the  Autocar 
devoted  itself  to  arousing  an  interest  in  automobilism  among 
the  general  public.  The  paper,  which  was  made  as  interesting 
as  possible,  was  sent  to  all  members  of  Parliament,  to  the  whole 
of  the  Peerage,  to  country  houses,  and  to  large  manufacturers 
and  professional  men.  By  this  very  expensive  but  useful  policy 
there  is  no  doubt  that  public  opinion  was  both  interested  and 
educated.  When  the  Light  Locomotives  Bill  was  brought  in  by 
the  Government,  the  Autocar,  in  order  to  do  everything  possible 
to  assist  its  passage,  organised  a  great  petition  praying  for  the 
necessary  alteration  of  the  law,  and  this  petition  was  signed  by 
over  eight  thousand  persons. 

Since  those  days  the  Aiitocarhd^s  been  considerably  developed 
until  it  has  obtained  its  present  high  position  in  the  Press  of  the 
country.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  its  position  in  the 
world  of  automobilism  corresponds  to  that  of  the  Engineer  in 
the  world  of  general  mechanical  engineering.  It  does  not  aim 
at  being  a  popular  paper  ;  its  interests  are  entirely  educative, 
technical,  and  serious ;  and  its  great  popularity  is  the  more 
remarkable  on  that  account.  Its  advertising  pages  would  form 
by  themselves  a  pretty  fair  record  of  the  automobile  industry  ; 
and  its  sound  policy  and  sober  judgment  on  all  matters  con- 
nected with  the  technical  side  of  motoring  cannot  be  too  highly 
praised.  It  is  always  ready  to  ventilate  and  encourage  new 
ideas,  yet  at  the  same  time  it  takes  sober  views,  and  forms  about 
as  admirable  a  contrast  as  one  could  imagine  to  the  American 
automobile  papers  of  similar  pretensions.  Its  correspondence 
columns  are  well  conducted,  and  attract  in  the  course  of  a  year 
all  the  thought  and  opinion  that  is  really  valuable  in  the  techni- 
calities of  motoring.  Like  most  of  the  other  automobile  papers, 
it  is  admirably  printed  and  illustrated,  and  the  drawings  which 
it  gives  of  new  inventions  are  always  authoritative  and  valuable. 
In  a  word,  it  is  the  supreme  authority  in  the  Press  on  all 
matters  relating  to  the  design  and  construction  of  motor-cars, 
and  its  approval,  which  seems  to  be  founded  solely  on  judgment 
and  experience,  and  never  to  be  influenced  by  extraneous 
circumstances,  has  more  value  than  many  medals  and  diplomas. 
The  Autocar,  the  price  of  which  is  threepence,  is  published 
every  Friday  by  Messrs.  Iliffe  &  Sons,  Limited. 

Of    quite    a    different    character,    although    of    hardly    less 


264  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

authority  and  reputation,  is  the  Automotor  Journal,  which  was 
established  in  1896  before  the  new  Act  came  into  force.  The 
Automotor  Journal  is  probably  the  best  written  of  all  the  auto- 
motor papers,  and  while  it  takes  a  considerable  interest  in  the 
industrial  side  of  the  movement,  concerns  itself  chiefly  with  the 
interests  of  private  owners  of  motor-cars.  If  I  were  asked  to 
say  off-hand  what  I  consider  the  two  most  important  features 
of  "CiXQ  Antomotor  Journal,  I  would  choose  the  editorial  articles 
and  the  illustrated  descriptions  of  motor-cars  which  appear 
weekl}'.  The  independence  of  tone,  as  well  as  the  common 
sense  and  moderation  of  the  leading  articles  in  this  paper,  are 
of  the  greatest  importance  in  the  present  youthful  days  of  the 
motor  movement,  and  must  often  exercise  a  most  beneficial  and 
restraining  influence  on  those  members  of  the  motoring  public 
whose  behaviour  is  more  like  that  of  vulgar  excited  children 
than  anything  else.  As  for  the  articles  descriptive  of  various 
cars  and  systems,  I  know  no  piece  of  serial  journalism  that 
is  better  done,  or  in  which  so  high  a  standard  has  been 
maintained  over  so  long  a  period.  If  these  articles,  since  the 
first  appearance  of  the  paper,  were  taken  out  and  republished, 
they  would  form  a  most  valuable  technical  work  of  reference  on 
motor-cars.  They  are  written  by  an  expert,  with  the  motor-car 
before  him,  and  often  the  car  is  dismembered  and  its  machinery 
photographed  piece  by  piece,  the  method  of  construction,  as 
well  as  the  action  of  the  machinery,  being  minutely  described. 
The  excellence  of  the  illustrations,  which,  being  nearly  all  taken 
from  photographs,  are  more  intelligible  than  technical  drawings 
to  the  amateur,  combined  with  the  clear  and  full  information 
given  in  the  letterpress,  makes  these  articles  in  themselves  a 
complete  education  in  the  principles  of  motor-car  construction. 
Very  full  accounts  are  given  in  this  paper  of  the  doings  of  the 
Automobile  clubs,  and  any  lectures  of  interest  that  are  given 
on  automobile  subjects  are  fully  reported  and  illustrated  ;  in 
fact,  the  Automotor  J ourjial  combines  very  happily  a  study  of 
the  interests  of  the  expert  and  the  amateur  pure  and  simple. 
The  price  of  this  paper  is  threepence  weekly,  and  it  is  published 
by  Messrs.  F.  King  &  Co.,  Limited. 

T\\&  Motor  Car  Jour Jial,^\\\(^  is  descended  in  a  direct  line 
(through  Iron  and  Industries  and  Iron)  from  the  Mechanic's 
Magazine   of  18 17,   is  in   its   sixth   year  of   publication   in   its 


THE   MOTOR-CAR  WEEKLY   PRESS 


HJ'i' 


ACCESSORIES   AND   LITERATURE  265 

present  form.  It  is  the  property  of  Messrs.  Cordingley  and 
Co.,  and  has  from  the  first  devoted  itself  to  popularising  the 
motor  movement,  and  has  paid  much  attention  to  the  encourage- 
ment and  record  of  progress  in  heavy  motor  traction  ;  but  it 
also  gives  very  full  and  sufficient  attention  to  all  matters  con- 
nected with  light  motor-cars.  It  is  not  so  elaborately  printed  or 
illustrated  as  some  of  the  other  papers ;  but  it  nevertheless 
gives  the  purchaser  more  for  his  money  than  any  other  motor- 
car paper,  with  the  possible  exception  of  the  Motor.  As  it 
contains  twenty-five  pages  of  letterpress  and  illustrations  and 
thirty-eight  of  advertisements,  and  costs  only  one  penny  weekly, 
it  cannot  be  called  an  expensive  paper.  It  must  be  remembered 
with  regard  to  all  illustrated  automobile  papers  that  the  adver- 
tisements are  not  the  burden  to  the  general  reader  that  they  are 
apt  to  be  in  ordinary  publications,  because  advertisement  pages, 
admirably  illustrated,  are  often  just  as  interesting  and  instructive 
as  the  rest  of  the  paper. 

The  Car,  a  comparatively  late  comer  into  the  field  of  motor- 
car journal!-*^,  isalsoquiteunlikeany  of  the  other  papers.  It  is,  in 
fact,  a  weekly  illustrated  paper  something  on  the  lines  that  were 
laid  down  long  ago  by  the  Graphic  and  the  Illustrated  London 
News,  but  have  been  so  fully  developed  and  so  much  adapted 
for  other  purposes.  The  Car,  however,  concerns  itself  almost 
exclusively  with  automobile  matters,  and  with  these  chiefly  on 
the  social  side.  Its  somewhat  curious  sub-title — "  A  Journal 
of  Travel  by  Land,  Sea,  and  Air" — was  doubtless  decided  with 
an  eye  to  the  future.  Already  the  "sea"  department  has 
become  justified  in  the  remarkable  development  of  the  pastime 
of  motor-launch  racing  ;  and,  no  doubt,  also  the  third  depart- 
ment, which  concerns  itself  with  the  upper  air,  will  soon  be 
crowded  with  news  of  the  doings  of  air-ships.  In  the  meantime, 
however,  the  Car  has  achieved  a  very  remarkable  success,  and 
this,  I  think,  almost  entirely  owing  to  the  personality  of  its 
editor,  Mr.  John  Scott-Montagu,  M.P,  I  spent  a  long  evening 
reading  through  a  bound  volume  of  the  Car,  and  I  was, 
I  confess,  puzzled  for  a  time  to  know  how  to  account  for  its 
success.  It  is  not  particularly  skilfully  written  ;  the  generous 
type  and  numerous  large  photographs  somewhat  restrict  the 
actual  amount  of  matter  which  it  contains.  It  is,  indeed, 
superbly  illustrated  ;  but  then  so  are  dozens   of  papers  which 


266  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

cannot  hope  for  half  the  Ca7's  success.  But  on  studying  it  for 
a  Httle  while,  it  becomes  clear  that  the  characteristic  feature 
of  the  Car  is  that  from  cover  to  cover  it  is  the  expression  of  a 
personality,  and  that  one  of  the  most  interesting  personalities 
in  the  automobile  w^orld.  It  exhibits  a  kind  of  boyish  en- 
thusiasm for  all  the  externals  of  motoring,  combined  with  a  very 
shrewd,  a  very  courageous,  and  a  very  able  conduct  of  what 
may  be  called  the  public  policy  of  motoring.  Not  only  that, 
but  in  the  political  and  social  world  the  editor  of  the  Car  is  an 
untiring  champion  of  all  the  rights  of  motorists,  and  he  is  as 
formidable  when  he  sets  the  wheels  of  the  social  and  political 
machine  to  work  in  their  favour  as  he  is  engaging  when  he  airs 
his  opinions  upon  every  matter  that  comes  within  his  purview. 
If  one  may  be  permitted  a  somewhat  clumsy  paradox,  one  may 
say  that  the  Car  would  not  be  half  so  good  if  it  were  better 
done — better,  that  is  to  say,  from  the  point  of  view  of  the 
professional  journalist.  But  no  professional  journalist  could 
either  have  evolved  the  Car,  nor  could  he  have  kept  it  going 
for  six  months.  Its  success  is  due  chiefly  to  the  quality  I  have 
mentioned,  partly  to  a  certain  amount  of  really  first-rate  infor- 
mation with  regard  to  roads  and  railways,  partly,  no  doubt, 
because  of  its  many  photographs  of  pretty  and  notable  women 
in  pretty  and  notable  clothes,  and  partly  because  of  that  atmo- 
sphere of  amateur  enthusiasm  which  no  professional  journalist, 
however  skilful  he  may  be,  can  ever  maintain  as  it  is  maintained 
in  the  Car.  The  price  of  the  Car  is  sixpence  weekly,  and  it  is 
published  by  Messrs.  Eyre  &  Spottiswoode. 

An  offshoot  of  the  Car  is  the  Car  Magazine,  which  is  also 
edited  by  Mr.  John  Scott-Montagu.  This  is  a  monthly  maga- 
zine, the  chief  features  of  which  are  its  beautiful  illustrations,  its 
interesting  articles  of  travel,  and  the  inexhaustible  personality 
to  which  I  have  just  referred.  The  first  number  was  published 
in  August,  1903,  since  when  this  magazine  has  gained  steadily 
in  popularity,  not  only  with  motorists,  but  with  all  those  who 
are  interested  in  progress  and  travel,  and  like  what  they  read 
to  be  luxuriously  printed  and  handsomely  illustrated.  The 
price  of  the  Car  Magazine  is  one  shilling  monthly. 

Motoring  Illustrated,  which  is  owned  and  edited  by  the 
Messrs.  Kenealy,  was  started  on  March  8th,  1902,  as  a  weekly 
illustrated  paper  devoted  chiefly  to  the  sporting  and  social  side 


ACCESSORIES   AND   LITERATURE  267 

of  motoring.  Its  price  was  then  threepence,  but  on  Feb- 
ruary 20th,  1904,  this  was  reduced  to  one  penny  weekly,  which 
made  it,  I  beHeve,  the  only  penny  paper  in  the  world  printed  on 
art  paper.  Its  characteristics  are  its  first-rate  illustrations  of 
late  motoring  news,  and  a  certain  "smart"  tone  such  as  is 
associated  with  the  new  daily  journalism.  The  fact  that  its 
letterpress  consists  almost  entirely  of  paragraphs,  occasionally 
of  a  flippant  character,  may  detract  from  its  interest  in  the  eyes 
of  a  certain  class  of  reader  ;  and  I  think  that  nothing  but  im- 
provement would  result  if  it  left  its  readers  to  discover  its  many 
good  qualities  for  themselves,  and  did  not  continually  call  atten- 
tion to  them  with  a  somewhat  monotonous  insistence.  But 
there  can  be  no  question  as  to  the  journalistic  ability  shown  by 
it  in  giving  real  news,  as  distinct  from  general  articles,  at  the 
earliest  possible  moment.  On  the  occasion  of  the  Gordon- 
Bennett  Race  in  Ireland  Motoring  Illustrated  transferred  its 
offices  to  Dublin,  and  on  the  morning  after  the  race — that  is  to 
say,  less  than  twelve  hours  after  the  finish — issued  a  special 
edition,  splendidly  illustrated,  containing  a  full  report  of  the 
event.  This  was  really  a  brilliant  feat  of  publishing,  and  fully 
deserved  the  high  praise  which  it  won  from  every  quarter.  This 
lead  has  been  well  maintained,  and  Motoring  Illustrated  is 
nearly  always  first  in  the  field  with  fully  illustrated  news  of 
any  important  event. 

The  Motor,  which  started  as  Motor  Cycling  and  rapidly 
attained  to  a  very  large  circulation  among  motor  cyclists,  soon 
found  that  the  interests  of  its  readers  demanded  that  more  atten- 
tion should  be  paid  to  the  interests  of  motorists  of  moderate 
means,  and  therefore  changed  its  title  and  devoted  itself  to  the 
development  of  the  light  car  as  well  as  of  the  motor-cycle.  The 
great  ability  with  which  this  paper  is  conducted,  the  really 
helpful  information  which  it  gives,  and  the  enormous  corre- 
spondence which  it  attracts  by  virtue  of  its  large  circulation, 
give  it,  in  my  opinion,  a  unique  value  and  position  in  the  auto- 
mobile Press  of  the  country.  It  represents,  so  to  speak,  the 
nursery  of  automobilism  ;  it  devotes  itself  to  the  help  and 
encouragement  of  the  beginner ;  and  many  a  one  who  has 
begun  with  a  motor  cycle,  passed  on  to  a  light  car,  and  thence 
to  the  full  joys  and  difficulties  of  the  touring  car,  has  reason 
to  be   grateful   to   the  Motor  for   not  a   little  help   and   sound 


268  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

guidance.  It  is  full  of  good  pictures  ;  its  advice  comes  hot  and 
hot  from  the  experiences  of  its  staff;  and  the  weekly  articles  of 
"  Cyclomot,"  for  example,  hardly  ever  fail  to  contain  something 
that  it  is  both  interesting  to  read  and  useful  to  know.  Not  the 
least  of  this  paper's  good  qualities  is  that  it  concerns  itself  with 
the  interests  of  men  to  whom  shillings  matter,  and  its  policy  is 
consistently  one  of  developing  and  encouraging  cheap  motoring. 
It  contains  seven  or  eight  pages  of  correspondence  every  week, 
any  novel  point  in  which  is  illustrated  ;  and  in  addition  hundreds 
of  replies  are  sent  through  the  post.  I  am  sure  that  there  is  a 
great  future  before  this  paper,  and  that  it  will  be  flourishing 
long  after  motoring  has  ceased  to  be  merely  the  rich  man's 
craze.  It  is  published  by  the  Temple  Press,  Limited.  Other 
motoring  papers  are  the  Motor  News,  published  and  edited  by 
Mr.  R.  J.  Mecredy,  an  admirable  periodical  full  of  sound  in- 
formation for  the  private  owner  of  a  motor-car ;  and  the  Motor 
Car  World,  published  by  Messrs.  Hay,  Nisbet  &  Co.,  Glasgow. 

The  Automobile  Club  Journal,  which  is  published  weekly  and 
distributed  free  among  the  members,  has  received  a  good  deal 
of  criticism  because  of  its  alleged  competition  with  the  public 
automobile  Press.  Conducted  on  purely  commercial  lines,  there 
does  not  seem  to  be  very  much  need  for  it,  unless  it  is  admittedly 
the  best,  the  most  representative,  and  the  most  authoritative 
of  all  the  automobile  papers — which  it  is  not.  But  as  a  purely 
official  organ,  giving  club  news  in  full,  announcing  the  results 
of  public  trials  and  competitions,  and  voicing  the  official  opinion 
of  the  Club  on  all  automobile  matters,  I  think  that  it  has 
a  very  genuine  reason  for  existence.  In  this  case,  however, 
I  think  its  weight  and  authority  would  be  vastly  increased  if  it 
did  not  accept  advertisements  ;  in  fact,  there  seems  to  be  a 
certain  impropriety  in  the  receiving  of  money  by  the  Club  from 
motor  traders  in  return  for  advertisement.  The  Club  is  surely 
rich  enough  to  be  independent  of  this  doubtful  source  of  revenue. 


CHAPTER    XIII 
A   PACKET   OF   LETTERS 

Letter  from  Lady  Jeune — The  social  side  of  motoring — Fresh  air  and  the  bicycle — 
An  escape  from  the  chaperon — A  disadvantage  of  easy  locomotion — The  importance 
of  solitude — The  difficulty  of  finding  it— The  monster  in  the  stables — A  selfish 
enjoyment — A  vision  of  the  future — -The  autocrat  of  the  stable. — Letter  from 
Sir  Horace  Plunkett — A  substitute  for  hunting — Early  experiences — In  Ireland — 
Local  talent — The  motor  as  time  saver — Problems  of  the  road — With  the  King 
in  Ireland. — Letter  from  Mr.  Strachey — England's  back  premises — Practical  uses 
of  the  motor-car — Back  to  the  country — An  improvement  in  roads  necessary. — 
— Letter  from  Mr.  Jarrott — The  charm  of  racing — Its  departed  glories — Sport 
rather  than  speed — A  cure  for  monotony. — Letter  from  Major  Lindsay  Lloyd — The 
military  motor-car  in  peace  and  war — Its  use  in  manoeuvres — Where  it  is 
essential  — Is  it  useful  in  war? — A  combination  with  animal  transport — A  golden 
rule. — Letter  from  Mr.  Rudyard  Kipling — His  early  agonies,  shames,  and  delays 
— Chasing  the  inchoate  rdea — The  chance-met  dung-cart — His  mouth  emptied 
of  vanities — His  emancipation  from  Jack  and  Jenny — The  discovery  of  England 
- — The  time  machine — The  motor-car  as  temperance  advocate — A  condition,  not 
a  theory — Effect  upon  carriers  and  coachmen — A  rooster  and  his  judgment^ 
Incident  of  the  dog. 

THE  writers  of  these  letters  need  no  introduction  from  me. 
Each  of  them  is  identified  in  the  pubhc  mind  with  a 
particular  department  of  life,  and  each  has  place  in  the  public 
esteem  by  virtue  of  a  peculiar  fitness  for  it ;  nevertheless, 
I  venture  to  think  that  my  six  correspondents  embrace  in  their 
persons  and  qualities  a  fairly  wide  range  of  human  interests  and 
human  equipment.  Mr.  Strachey  and  Mr.  Jarrott,  Sir  Horace 
Plunkett  and  Major  Lindsay  Lloyd,  Mr.  Kipling  and  everybody 
else — if  one  had  been  making  a  study  in  contrast,  a  more 
piquant  choice  could  hardly  have  been  found  ;  while  Lady 
Jeune's  position  in  the  life  of  our  day  is  both  unique  and 
representative.  Yet  their  association  here  is  purely  by  chance ; 
and  from  regions  of  human  activity  so  divergent  they  have 
been  brought  into  a  momentary  companionship  on  this  page  by 

269 


270  THE   COMPLETE    MOTORIST 

virtue  of  no  stronger  bond  than  the  fact  that  two  accidental 
circumstances  are  common  to  them  all.  The  one  is  their  belief 
in  the  motor-car  as  a  great  and  increasing  influence  in  the 
national  life  ;  the  other  is  their  acquaintance  with  their  common 
correspondent.  Perhaps  I  may  be  allowed  to  add  a  third  element 
in  the  bond — the  good-nature  that  prompted  them  so  kindly  to 
pay  the  toll  levied  on  their  friendship,  and  to  spend  time  and 
trouble  for  the  embellishment  of  someone  else's  work. 


From   LADY  JEUNE 

79,  Harley  Street,  W., 

2oth  June^  1904 

Dear  Mr.  Filson  Young, 

The  social  side  of  motoring  is  a  difficult  subject,  for 
I  find  nowadays  that  as  soon  as  any  sport,  occupation,  or 
interest  gets  a  social  side  half  its  good  and  all  its  pleasure  is 
gone.  Cycling  had  its  social  side,  so  had  boating  among  other 
amusements  ;  but  the  moment  they  came  into  universal  use 
they  lost  their  charm.  People  became  frightened  of  the  crowds 
which  took  possession  of  the  roads  and  of  the  Thames  and 
left  both  ;  and  the  social  side  of  cycling  has  ceased  to 
interest  the  community  any  longer.  I  am  not  for  a  moment 
going  to  minimise  the  pleasure  and  health  both  have  given  to 
those  who  still  pursue  them,  for  they  are  both  incalculable  ; 
but  do  you  think  they  are  any  longer  the  important  and  all- 
absorbing  occupations  of  the  community  that  they  used  to  be? 
The  moment  any  form  of  exercise  is  adopted  by  everyone 
and  becomes  the  pastime  of  a  huge  crowd  it  loses  its  charm  for 
its  devotees,  and  they  go  further  afield  for  a  successor.  Both 
cycling  and  boating  possessed  a  qualification,  advantageous  or 
the  reverse,  in  that  they  were  not  expensive  amusements,  and 
by  the  help  of  both  the  river  Thames  was  rendered  accessible 
to  the  teachers  and  the  workers,  both  male  and  female,  of 
this  great  toiling  metropolis ;  and  what  was  only  for  a  brief 
period  the  pastime  of  the  rich  became  to  them  the  means  of 
giving  them  many  happy  hours  during  the  week  of  fresh  air 
and  peace. 

The  country  owes  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  the  bicycle  for  all 


A   PACKET   OF   LETTERS  271 

it  has  done  for  the  classes  who  labour  in  large  towns  ;  and 
while  the  fashionable  world  has  forsaken  its  first  love  the  sport 
is  pursued  with  increased  devotion  on  the  part  of  its  more 
humble  followers.  There  was  a  social  side,  I  suppose,  to  bi- 
cycling :  it  enabled  young  people  to  go  out  in  large  parties, 
unencumbered  by  the  inevitable  chaperon,  and  it  fostered,  while 
it  lasted,  the  growing  spirit  of  independence  among  girls ; 
it  enabled  one  to  see  more  of  country  neighbours,  often  a 
doubtful  advantage,  and  it  undoubtedly  increased  the  facilities 
of  locomotion,  which,  we  are  told,  is  the  great  and  inestimable 
blessing  of  modern  life,  an  article  of  faith  about  which  I  claim 
to  be  unorthodox.  Now  we  hear  much  of  the  social  side  of 
motoring,  and  we  are  told  one  of  its  great  advantages  is  that 
it  will  give  us  still  greater  opportunities  of  seeing  people  in  the 
vicinity  in  which  we  live,  and  that  it  will  foster  and  strengthen 
that  neighbourly  feeling  which  is  so  delightful,  and  will  add  so 
much  to  our  enjoyment  of  the  country  by  the  ease  with  which 
we  shall  get  about.  It  will  undoubtedly  enable  us  to  go  long 
distances  and  penetrate  to  places  otherwise  inaccessible  ;  and 
no  doubt  we  shall  be  brought  into  warm  contact  with  many 
people  hitherto  strangers.  It  sounds  very  nice,  very  kind,  and 
an  ideal  picture  of  what  our  country  life  should  be.  I  think, 
however,  that  the  great  charm  of  the  country  is  being  destroyed 
by  that  very  increased  facility  of  getting  about.  The  great  and 
inexpressible  charm  of  the  country  is  always  its  peace,  more 
often  its  solitude,  and  we  are  destroying  both.  There  are  no 
longer  days  when  one  can  sit  in  the  garden  dreaming,  sleeping, 
what  you  will,  listening  to  the  whisper  of  the  wind  in  the  trees, 
the  droning  of  bees,  the  song  of  the  birds,  and  the  mysterious 
language  of  Nature.  Such  days  are  a  waste  of  time.  There  is 
a  monster  in  the  stable  who  has  to  be  exercised,  and  from  time 
to  time  you  hear  his  brothers  hooting  to  him  as  they  rush  past 
along  the  road,  while  the  irresistible  feeling  grows  on  you  that 
you  must  obey  their  cry,  and  start  on  your  ride  answering  with 
Valkyrie-like  cry  the  invitation  which  has  been  wafted  on  the 
sweet  summer  air.  Then,  indeed,  the  fascination  of  motoring 
begins  to  exercise  itself,  and  the  enjoyment,  which  is  a  purely 
selfish  one,  the  consciousness  that  you  are  getting  away  from 
your  fellow-creatures,  that  every  man,  woman,  child,  village, 
hamlet,  or  town  is  a  landmark  passed  on  the  journey  which  you 


272  THE    COMPLETE    MOTORIST 

would  like  to  lead  to  perfect  solitude — a  solitude  in  which  none 
of  the  modern  necessities  of  life  and  society  exist — become  over- 
powering. There  is  no  sensation  so  enjoyable — except  that  of 
riding  a  good  horse  in  a  fast  run — as  driving  in  a  fast  motor. 
The  endless  variety  of  scenery;  the  keen  whistle  of  the  wind  in 
one's  face ;  the  perpetual  changing  sunshine  and  shadow,  create 
an  indescribable  feeling  of  exhilaration  and  excitement ;  while 
the  almost  human  consciousness  of  the  machine ;  the  patient, 
ready  response  which  it  makes  to  any  call  on  its  powers ;  the 
snort  with  which  it  breasts  the  hill,  and  the  soft  sob  which  dies 
away  when  it  has  reached  the  summit,  make  it  as  companion- 
able as  any  living  being.  Then  I  want  all  this  to  bear  me  away 
from  the  haunts  of  men  ;  but  you  want  me  to  tell  you  of  another 
aspect  of  motoring,  and  I  feel  very  inadequate  to  dilate  on  any  of 
its  other  advantages.  I  am  willing  to  admit  all  the  possibilities 
for  good  which  getting  to  know  your  neighbour  better  entails — 
and  the  pleasure  which  is  gained  by  being  able  to  visit  almost 
every  spot  worth  seeing  in  one's  own  country  is  undeniable  ; 
and  the  convenience  of  being  able  to  go  straight  from  one  place 
to  another  without  "  breaking  bulk,"  as  was  formerly  the  case 
when  a  journey  had  to  be  partly  done  by  road,  and  rail,  is 
enormous. 

But  I  don't  think  the  social  effect  of  motoring  has  yet  become 
important.  Cars  are  too  expensive,  too  much  of  a  luxury  for 
any  but  the  rich,  to  have  affected  us  socially  to  any  great  extent. 
When  cars  can  be  made  that  will  cost  you  £ioo,  or  even  less, 
then  we  may  talk  of  the  social  effect  of  motoring  on  modern 
life,  and  the  effect  will  not,  I  think,  be  a  pleasing  one.  The 
country  will  be  invaded  by  vast  numbers  of  small  cheap  cars 
through  which  the  larger  and  more  powerful  ones  will  thunder 
with  more  or  less  disastrous  results,  for  no  time  limit  will  then 
exist,  because  the  roads  will  not  be  in  possession  of  the  South 
African  millionaire,  the  rich  stockbroker,  or  the  rich  autocrat, 
but  Demos  will  have  taken  the  road,  at  his  own  pace,  and  for 
his  own  pleasure,  and  no  County  Council  will  dare  stay  his 
headlong  progress.  Then  we  shall  mourn  for  the  autocrat 
who  presided  over  the  stables,  we  shall  sigh  for  the  smooth, 
glossy  skin,  the  tender  eye,  the  soft  neigh  that  greeted  us  in 
the  days  when  we  fed  our  monsters  with  carrots  and  sugar. 
The   announcement  that  the  motor  could   not  go  out  would 


A   PACKET   OF   LETTERS  273 

sound  like  music  in  our  ears,  and  we  should  remember  the 
sound  of  the  champing  of  bits,  the  tossing  of  heads,  the  ringing 
sound  of  hoofs  on  the  hard  road,  and  the  willing  response  and 
high  courage  of  our  most  beautiful,  our  most  faithful,  friend 
and  servant.  The  motor  has  done  much  for  us,  and  added  to 
the  pleasure  of  our  country  life,  giving  us  opportunities  of 
learning  more  about  our  country,  and,  indeed,  of  foreign  parts, 
than  any  modern  discovery,  railroads  excepted  ;  but  there  will 
always  be  a  soft  spot  in  our  hearts,  and  a  saddened  memory, 
of  the  faithful  horse,  whose  beauty  it  could  never  equal,  and 
whose  courage  and  willingness  it  could  never  excel. 

I  am  afraid  I  set  out  with  the  idea  of  blessing,  and Alas  ! 

I  have  said  my  say. 

Believe  me, 

Yours  sincerely, 

M.  Jeune 
II 

From  the  Right  Hon.  SIR  HORACE  PLUNKETT,  k.c.v.o.,  f.r.s. 

(  Vice-President  of  the   Department  of  Agriculture  and   Technical  Instruction  for 
Ireland ;  President  of  the  Irish  Aidotnobile  Club.) 

Dublin, 

27id  June,  1904 
My  dear  Filson  Young, 

Your  letter  telling  me  that  you  are  writing  a  book  on  the 
motor-car  and  asking  me  to  jot  down  my  experiences  as  an 
automobilist  gives  me  but  little  clue  as  to  what  you  require  of 
me.  If  in  the  jottings  which  follow  you  do  not  find  any  straw 
for  your  literary  bricks,  it  is  because  while  you  are  a  literary 
man  and  an  expert  automobilist,  I  am  neither. 

The  motor  comes  into  my  life  at  the  end  of  the  half-century 
which  I  have  been  spared  to  see,  and  furnishes  in  my  case  an 
ideal  combination  of  business  and  pleasure — business  because 
it  enables  me  to  cover  more  ground  and  observe  more  men 
and  things  in  some  public  work  which  I  have  to  do  in  my 
official  capacity  ;  pleasure  because  it  restores  to  me  some  of 
the  sensations  of  the  only  sport  I  ever  really  cared  for.  I  was 
reared  in  County  Meath,  and  until  other  things  forced  me  to 
give  up  my  first  love  I  was  devoted  to  hunting,  a  taste,  I  need 
not  tell  you,  which  is  cultivated  with  unequalled  advantage  in 

T 


274  THE   COMPLETE   MOTOllIST 

the  pasture-lands  of  Leinster.  The  motor-car  makes  me  feel 
again  the  joy  of  rapid  motion  through  the  air.  It  gives  a  cool, 
exhilarating  breeze  on  a  dull  stuffy  day.  On  a  windy  day  it 
can  convert  an  adverse  wind  to  the  force  of  a  gale,  or  can  run 
along  with  a  gale  in  a  perfect  calm.  And  there  are  other 
sensations  which  when  I  parted  with  the  pleasure-horse  I  never 
expected  to  enjoy  again.  Of  course,  the  relations  between  a 
man  and  a  machine  can  never  be  an  adequate  substitute  for  the 
relations  between  the  lord  of  creation  and  the  animal  which,  in 
County  Meath,  at  any  rate,  is  well-nigh  his  peer.  Still  a  poor 
driver  with  a  new  motor  may  have  quite  as  lively  a  time  of  it  as 
a  bad  rider  on  a  young  colt  which  is  neither  bridlewise  nor  under 
restraint  in  its  paces.  There  is  to  me  a  keen  pleasure  in  the 
perfect  control  I  have  gained  over  my  lo  h.p.  Panhard,  whose 
humours  and  tantrums  frightened  me  not  a  little  at  first  and 
made  me  speculate  irreverently  upon  its  sex.  Even  now  it  has 
its  moods,  and  I  have  to  look  after  its  health  to  be  sure  that  it 
will  glide  along  with  a  contented  hum,  raising  its  note  slightly 
and  appreciatively  when  it  is  given  its  head  on  its  highest  speed. 
But  to  begin  at  the  beginning  of  my  brief  narrative.  When  I 
decided  that  my  way  of  life  required  mechanical  expedition 
I  went  round  the  dealers  in  motor-cars.  I  could  not  help 
wondering  whether  they  had  better  chances  of  heaven  than 
the  dealers  in  horses,  who  take  their  reward  below.  My 
requirements  were  modest.  I  wanted  a  machine  which  was 
warranted  fool-proof  The  dealer  who  secured  my  business 
could  meet  this  requirement,  but  the  warranty  must  be  in- 
terpreted with  the  important  qualification  that  "  there  are 
fools  and  fools."  I  was  too  proud  to  object  to  this  limita- 
tion of  my  terms,  and  have  not  on  the  whole  regretted  my 
acquiescence,  though  there  were  times  when  I  thought  my 
pocket  would  have  been  the  richer  for  my  pride.  I  bought  a 
little  4|  h.p.  De  Dion  voiturette.  I  recall  a  curious  circumstance 
which  illustrates  the  way  in  which  the  spirit  of  the  horse  haunted 
me  up  to  the  very  hour  of  my  final  desertion.  The  dealer, 
a  well-known  Dublin  coachbuilder,  who  takes  pride  in  the 
appearance  of  his  work,  insisted  that  my  crest  and  motto  should 
adorn  his  panels.  Parliament  had  not  then  made  us  disfigure 
our  cars  with  letters  and  numbers,  like  an  omnibus  with  adver- 
tisements.    The  motto  of  our  family,  Festina  Lente  (which  does 


A    PACKET   OF   LETTERS  275 

not  mean  what  our  Catholic  nurserymaid  said  it  did,  "  Fast  in 
Lent"),  contained  excellent  advice  for  automobilists.  Some 
say  it  is  a  bit  Irish  and  suggests  a  bull,  but  the  crest  is  a 
horse !  The  dealer  saw  my  difficulty,  and  being  a  resourceful 
person,  proposed  to  retain  the  crest,  but  to  change  the  motto  to 
/;/  Mevwriam.     Being  a  Meath  man  I  stuck  at  that. 

I  saw  my  little  car  through  its  infantile  disorders  and  myself 
through  my  youthful  follies,  and  then  parted  with  it  in  order  to 
provide  myself  with  the  more  ambitious  conveyance  I  named 
above.  But  the  De  Dion  taught  me  how  to  steer — this,  by  the 
way,  I  learned  in  a  smooth  field,  executing  a  sort  of  figure- 
skating  among  imaginary  vehicles,  a  course  I  recommend  in  the 
public  interest  to  other  beginners.  I  learned,  among  other 
things,  to  diagnose  and  treat  simple  ailments,  to  distinguish 
between  functional  derangement,  which  I  might  set  right,  and 
organic  lesion,  which  needed  a  "vet."  It  was  a  wonderful  little 
engine  which  hardly  ever  went  wrong,  though  it  was  sometimes 
difficult  to  start.  A  friend  of  mine  who  began  motoring  about 
the  same  time  as  I  did,  and  also  began  with  a  De  Dion,  had  the 
car  sent  to  him  by  rail  to  the  West  of  Ireland,  where  the  looker- 
on  would  be  less  critical.  He  was  a  good  mechanic  and  had  no 
difficulty  in  putting  it  together  when  it  arrived,  but  in  spite  of 
all  that  he  had  read  and  all  that  he  had  learned  he  could  not 
induce  the  car  to  start.  The  admiring  crowd  who  watched  his 
abortive  efforts  assured  him  that  Pat  O'Flaherty  who  lived 
"  over  beyant "  was  the  boy  who  knew  how  to  make  a  car  go 
without  men  to  push  or  horse  to  pull.  Any  port  in  a  storm. 
A  hippo-mobile  was  despatched  and  the  obscure  mechanical 
genius  arrived.  Could  he  make  her  start  ?  Why  wouldn't  he  ? 
Hadn't  he  seen  it  done  ?  He  confidently  took  command  of  the 
vehicle  and  its  owner,  and  issued  his  instructions.  These  were 
simple.  My  friend  was  ordered  on  to  the  driver's  seat.  He 
was  then  told  to  "  give  a  twisht  to  the  wheel,  and  two  blashts 
with  the  horn,  and  away  she'd  go." 

Two  days  it  took  me  to  master  the  transition  from  a  little 
one-cylinder  two-speed  car  weighing  some  six  hundredweight  to 
a  car  with  four  cylinders  and  four  speeds,  with  a  possible 
velocity  and  an  actual  weight  and  momentum  which  it  was  neces- 
sary to  take  into  account  and  to  have  under  perfect  control. 
At  cockcrow  on  the  third  day  I  left  London  with  my  new  car. 


276  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

It  was  early  in  the  summer  of  last  year — I  forget  the  exact 
date,  but  I  can  almost  fix  it  by  saying  that  it  was  a  fine  day.  I 
ran  straight  through  to  Holyhead,  in  time  to  put  my  car  on  a 
freight  steamer  and  to  get  to  sleep  on  the  night  mail-boat 
before  the  passengers  arrived.  The  distance  is  257  miles,  and  I 
had  three  tyre  punctures  on  the  road. 

This  journey  from  London  to  Holyhead  provoked  some 
thought.  My  father,  who  died  in  1889,  and  could  easily  re- 
member the  rejoicings  when  the  news  of  the  Battle  of  Water- 
loo reached  London,  used  as  a  boy  to  travel  that  road  to  and 
from  his  school  in  Kent.  I  once  asked  him  towards  the  end  of 
his  life  whether,  if  I  lived  as  long  as  he  had  lived,  he  thought 
I  should  see  as  great  changes  as  he  had  seen  in  his  day.  He 
said  he  thought  not,  as  when  he  was  a  boy  he  could  not  travel 
any  faster  from  London  to  Holyhead  than  Julius  Caesar.  He 
.<new  what  the  iron  horse  could  do  on  its  iron  path,  but  he 
would  have  marvelled  at  this  performance  of  the  fool-proof 
machine  over  the  Holyhead  Road.  To  the  makers  of  the 
machine  which  stood  such  a  test  belongs  the  credit,  but  let  the 
Irish  dealer  have  me  in  kindly  remembrance  when  he  is  dis- 
criminating between  fools  and  fools. 

It  is,  of  course,  in  short  journeys  and  not  in  long  that  the  motor 
finds  its  business  justification  for  its  extravagant  existence.  As 
a  time-saver  and  convenience  for  journeys  of  thirty  miles  or  less 
it  has  enormous  advantages  over  the  train,  which  dictates  and 
does  not  always  observe  the  appointed  hour ;  which  does  not 
come  to  you,  but  makes  you  go  to  it ;  which  makes  you  spend 
at  its  starting  or  stopping  place  whatever  margin  of  time 
your  temperament  requires ;  and  which  deposits  you  at  its 
and  not  your  destination.  But  the  advantages  of  a  motor  are 
secured  at  too  great  a  cost  to  the  man  of  fortune  who  can 
avail  himself  of  them,  and  at  far  too  great  a  sacrifice  of  the 
general  public  who  use  the  road  in  the  ordinary  way.  The  dust 
problem,  which  I  find  can  be  simply  dealt  with  so  far  as  the 
occupants  of  the  car  are  concerned,  remains  to  be  solved  in 
the  interests  of  the  community  at  large.  Their  forbearance 
is  remarkable,  the  public  seemingly  taking  the  broad  and 
liberal  view — which,  I  think,  is  also  the  wise  one — that  it  is  best 
not  to  check  the  progress  of  a  means  of  locomotion  which  will 
soon  develop  into  a  great  public  convenience  and   utility,  by 


A   PACKET   OF  LETTERS  277 

calling  upon  automobilists  to  solve  the  dust  problem  simul- 
taneously with  all  the  other  problems  which  have  to  be  dealt 
with,  before  the  new  facilities  can  be  brought  within  the  reach 
of  the  community  at  large.  The  motor,  which  I  have  heard 
grandiloquently  described  as  "  the  comet  of  the  road,"  has,  no 
doubt,  an  interesting  nucleus,  but  to  the  average  pedestrian  a 
most  offensive  tail.  I  have  seen  a  lady  standing  on  a  road  fre- 
quented by  automobilists,  in  what  was  a  black  dress,  looking  like 
Lot's  wife  after  her  awful  punishment.  At  a  later  stage  of  auto- 
mobilism  asphalt  motor  tracks  may  be  provided  along  important 
thoroughfares.  In  the  saving  of  tyres  alone  there  would  be 
ample  provision  for  a  tax  upon  motors  which  would  defray  the 
cost  of  construction  and  upkeep  of  such  an  addition  to  the 
highway.'  This  is  especially  true  in  some  of  our  counties,  where 
the  only  possible  excuse  of  the  county  surveyor  is  that  the  im- 
minence of  the  air-ship  age  has  been  revealed  to  his  prophetic 
soul.  I  think  you  too  have  been  a  bit  cross  at  the  roads  of 
Ireland  ! 

The  speed  of  motors  on  the  road  will,  I  am  confident,  cease 
to  be  a  serious  difficulty  in  the  near  future.  The  trouble  mostly 
arises  from  unformed  and  chaotic  standards  of  comparison  in 
the  public  mind.  I  notice  that  judgment  of  speed  is  quickly 
developing  in  the  animal  kingdom.  Dogs,  ducks,  and  policemen 
are  the  slowest  to  bring  their  standards  of  comparison  up  to  date. 
I  think  there  must  have  been  motor-cars  in  prehistoric  times. 
Can  you  otherwise  explain  to  me  the  evolution  of  the  dachs- 
hund? Ducks  puzzle  me  most,  as  they  were  far  the  best  judges 
of  the  speed  of  old-fashioned  vehicles.  Dean  Swift  all  his  life 
tried  to  drive  over  one  of  these  marvellously  accurate  calculators 
of  time  and  distance,  but  their  little  locomotor  machinery  always 
managed  to  drag  their  cumbrous,  amphibious  after-carriages  out 
of  the  way  of  his  wheels.  Now  the  chauffeur  has  to  do  the 
calculation  for  the  duck.  Policemen  are  improving  rapidly.  I 
have  not  been  fined  for  a  year.  Perhaps  the  improvement  is 
in  myself;  I  know  that  I  am  much  less  dangerous  to  the  public 
now  than  I  was  when  those  who  crossed  my  path  had  to  reckon 
not  with  me  alone  but  also  with  a  powerful  fellow-creature  in 
the  shafts. 

Now  take  what  you  like  out  of  this  letter  and  cremate  the 
rest.     I  am  not  sure  that  I  have  told  you  the  most  interesting 


278  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

things  about  my  car.  By  the  way,  as  you  remember,  it  had  the 
honour  of  piloting  their  Majesties  over  the  roads  of  Connemara, 
Kerry,  and  West  Cork  last  year.  The  motor-car  enabled  them 
to  meet  large  numbers  of  the  most  typical  of  the  Irish  peasants 
under  ideal  conditions.  I  doubt  whether  any  English  sovereign 
was  ever  brought  into  relations  so  mutually  agreeable  as  those 
which  the  King  enjoyed  with  the  simplest  and  kindliest  of  his 
subjects  on  this  historic  tour.  I  was  much  struck  as  I  went 
along  with  the  thoughtful  way  in  which  the  people  removed 
from  the  road  on  which  the  royal  party  travelled  certain 
domestic  animals  whose  immemorial  privilege  in  its  use  no  less 
distinguished  guests  would  be  permitted  to  infringe. 

I  am, 

Yours  sincerely, 

Horace  Plunkett 

III 

From  J.  St.  LOE  STRACHEY, 
(Editor  of  the  ^'  Spectator. " ) 

2  2,  South  Street,  W., 

April  1 2th,  1904 
Dear  Mr.  Filson  Young, 

You  ask  me  to  tell  you  why  I  like  motoring,  and  what 
I  think  of  its  future.  I  like  it  in  the  first  place  because  it 
makes  me  free  of  the  roads  of  England,  and  enables  me  to  see 
a  vast  amount  of  country  which  without  my  motor-car  would 
be  a  sealed  book  to  me.  The  railway  does  not  show  us  the 
true  rural  scenery  of  England  because  it  takes  us  down,  not  the 
historic  highways  of  England  lined  with  the  traces  of  England's 
past  life,  but  as  it  were  through  the  "back  premises"  of  the 
nation's  home.  England  has  grown  up  to  face  the  road,  and 
the  railway  line  always  runs  away  from  the  "  front "  view  of 
life.  Therefore  even  apart  from  the  fact  that  the  railway 
carriage  is  a  closed  vehicle,  wc  never  get  a  true  idea  of  what 
England  is  like  by  looking  out  of  the  railway-carriage  window. 
This  difficulty  of  seeing  a  country  from  the  train  is  not  nearly 
so  great  in  wild  and  savage  countries.  There  one  may  get  a 
very  good  impression  by  looking  through  the  railway-carriage 
window.  In  old  historic  countries  like  England  one  gets  to 
know  nothing  of  the  country  if  one  only  travels  by  rail.     This, 


A   PACKET   OF   LETTERS  279 

coupled  with  the  physical  exhilaration  of  motoring,  is  my  senti- 
mental reason  for  liking  it.  But  I  have  also  the  strongest 
possible  practical  grounds  for  liking  the  motor.  It  abolishes 
tiresome  cross  journeys  by  rail,  it  gives  one  a  carriage  that  can 
go  backwards  and  forwards  to  the  station  seven  or  eight  times 
a  day  without  getting  tired,  and  which  can  take  you  long 
journeys  after  the  trains  have  ceased  to  run  at  night,  or  between 
the  hours  on  the  time-table.  I  believe  that  a  motor-car  will 
very  soon  be  looked  upon  as  an  absolutely  necessary  adjunct 
to  a  country  house,  and  people  will  begin  to  wonder  how  it  was 
possible  to  live  in  the  country  in  old  days  when  there  was  no 
motor-car  to  run  up  and  down  to  the  station,  and  to  take  one 
on  tiresome  cross-country  journeys.  For  example,  I  live  in 
Surrey  and  occasionally  want  to  go  to  Oxford  or  to  Cambridge. 
In  both  cases  if  I  go  by  rail  I  have  tiresome  cross-country 
journeys  including  a  drive  across  London.  If  I  use  a  motor- 
car I  can  go  from  door  to  door. 

I  think  that  the  motor-car  has  a  very  great  future  in  our 
national  life,  and  specially  in  rural  life.  I  hope,  and  believe, 
that  it  will  do  a  great  deal  to  bring  people  back  to  the  country, 
first  the  richer  and  then  the  poorer  classes.  This  is  a  matter 
about  which  I  care  greatly.  But  if  the  motor-car  is  really  to 
do  its  work  in  helping  to  keep  the  population  on  the  land  we 
must  improve  our  roads.  Our  present  rural  roads  are  so  narrow, 
and  often  so  badly  planned,  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  get 
the  full  advantage  out  of  a  motor-car,  or  rather,  I  should  say, 
that  if  motor-cars  increase  as  they  are  doing  now  it  will  very 
soon  be  impossible.  Our  rural  roads  are  often  hardly  better 
than  lanes,  and  if  an  enormous  amount  of  extra  traffic  is  placed 
upon  them  they  will  soon  become  hopelessly  congested.  I  should 
like  to  see  a  Government  department  created  for  the  manage- 
ment of  our  roads  with  power  to  expend  Imperial  funds  on 
widening  them  and  increasing  their  capacity  for  traffic.  That, 
however,  is  a  vast  subject,  and  one  full  of  difficulties.  All  I 
want  to  insist  on  now  is  that  we  cannot  get  the  benefits  out 
of  motor-cars  which  they  are  capable  of  giving  us  unless  we 
improve  our  roads. 

I  am,  dear  Mr.  Filson  Young, 
Yours  very  truly, 

J.  St.  Loe  Strachev 


S80  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 


IV 

From  CHARLES  JARROTT, 
( IVitiner  of  the  Circtiit  des  Ardenites  Race,  igos.  ) 

April,  1904 
MV   DEAR    FiLSON    YOUNG, 

Why  will  you  ask  one  questions  which  necessitate  quiet 
consideration  and  the  searching  of  the  heart  to  answer?  Why 
do  I  like  automobile  racing?     I  wonder. 

Perhaps  the  real  reason  is  because  I  like  any  form  of  contest. 
Fairly  equal  chances  and  a  good  fighting  finish,  and  I  am  as 
enthusiastic  over  one  form  of  sport  as  another.  A  Bordeaux- 
Paris  bicycle  race,  a  Marathon  foot-race,  a  set-to  at  the  National 
Sporting  Club,  or  an  even  tussle  in  a  wrestling  match,  and  I 
will  get  up  very  early  and  travel  very  far  to  see  the  finish,  even 
as  at  one  time  I  would  have  done  the  same  to  be  a  participant. 

The  automobile  sport,  however,  is  to  me  the  greatest  of  all, 
inasmuch  as  it  gives  the  essence  of  the  competitive  spirit. 
After  driving  many,  many  thousands  of  miles  I  am  as  fond 
of  the  road  as  ever,  as  keen  as  the  veriest  novice  to  be  upon 
my  car  and  away.  The  utilisation  of  the  road  to  hammer  out 
the  question  as  to  who  can  cover  a  certain  distance  in  the  best 
time,  with  all  the  possibilities  attendant  on  the  driving — possi- 
bilities of  good  luck  and  bad,  punctures  or  breakages,  diffi- 
culties to  be  met  and  overcome — all  this,  in  competition,  goes, 
to  my  mind,  to  make  up  a  grand  sport.  The  spice  of  danger 
does  not  detract  from,  but  adds  to,  the  fascination. 

I  am  afraid,  however,  that  all  this  has  departed.  The  true 
sport  of  road-racing  is  finished,  and  I  look  back  longingly  to 
the  days  of  Charron  and  De  Knyff,  when  cars  did  offer  possi- 
bilities in  their  unknown  vagaries,  and  troubles  in  a  race  did  not 
mean  that  all  hope  of  winning  was  gone.  The  regularity  and 
speed  of  the  fastest  express  train  was  not  necessary,  and  the 
speed  of  ninety  miles  an  hour  was  unknown. 

If  I  really  analysed  my  feelings,  I  daresay  I  should  find  that 
I  am  fond  of  the  automobile  sport  rather  than  of  automobile 
speed.  My  ideal  race  would  be  one  of  500  miles  between  twelve 
cars  of  not  more  than  16  h.p.,  as  nearly  alike  as  possible — the 
contest,  in  fact,  carried  out  on  the  lines  of  a  race  for  half-raters. 


MR.    CHARLP.S   JARROTT 

WINNER   OF    THE    1902    "  CIUCUIT    DES    ARDENNES  "    MOTOR    RACE,    ETC.,    ETC. 


A   PACKET   OF   LETTERS  281 

Yachting  men  have  solved  the  problem  of  obtaining  real 
sport  without  great  speed,  and  automobilism  has  yet  to  learn  it. 
I  am  not  sure  that  I  do  like  racing  on  a  large  scale,  whereby  one  is 
hurled  through  the  air  at  an  average  speed  of  something  more 
than  sixty  miles  an  hour.  There  is  a  certain  amount  of  sport  in 
it,  I  admit ;  but  when  in  getting  up  in  a  race  one  has  to  take 
the  precaution  beforehand  of  leaving  everything  in  order  for 
the  assistance  of  one's  executors,  the  sporting  spirit  is  rather 
damped  by  the  possible  prospects.  And  again,  as  I  am  now 
numbered  amongst  the  noble  army  of  Benedicts,  I  have  the  fact 
impressed  upon  me  that  it  is  not  a  fair  sport  that  necessitates 
the  risking  of  one's  neck  every  time  one  participates  ;  and — 
between  ourselves — I  am  inclined  to  agree. 

I  can  hear  you  asking  me.  Why,  then,  do  I  continue  racing  ? 
And  as  an  answer,  I  would  remind  you  of  the  monotony  of  a 
life  which  offers  nothing  but  a  respectable  staidness  and,  in  the 
future,  a  comfortable  old  age.  With  me  there  must  always  be 
something  in  the  distance  which  can  be  looked  forward  to  as 
offering  chances,  with  possibilities  of  success,  over  my  fellow- 
men — no  matter  what  the  direction  might  be.  At  present  this 
is  satisfied  by  racing  on  an  automobile ;  in  two  years'  time 
(if  I  so  long  survive  the  strenuous  pursuit)  it  may  be  in  the 
emulation  of  the  renowned  Captain  Nemo. 

I  am  perhaps  illogical ;  but  then  I  am  often  accused  of  that, 
and  I  should  be  sorry  to  be  an  entirely  logical  and  consistent 
person.  So  that  if  my  reasons  are  not  altogether  conclusive 
and  satisfactory,  I  am  afraid  I  must  leave  you  guessing. 

Very  sincerely  yours, 

Charles  Jarrott 


From  MAJOR  F.  LINDSAY  LLOYD,  r.e. 

(Secretary  to  the  War  Office  Mechanical  Transport  Committee. ) 

April,  1904 

My  dear  Filson  Young, 

What  are  my  ideas  as  to  the  military  use  of  motor-cars  ? 

Naturally,  my  mind  at  once  divides  their  use  into  two  broad 

divisions — Peace  and  War  ;  and  although  it  may  be,  and  usually 


282  THE   COMPLETE    MOTORIST 

is,  rightly  said  that  we  ought  not  to  arrange  for  peace  any 
military  organisation  which  cannot  be  adapted  or  employed 
in  war,  yet  I  feel  that  in  these  early  days  of  automobilism — 
and  they  are,  after  all,  merely  the  early  days  of  a  movement 
whose  future  will  be  one  of  ever-increasing  expansion  and 
importance — though  we  can  see  the  immediate  and  economic 
military  use  of  the  motor-car  for  peace,  we  are  not  so  clear  as 
to  its  value  in  war. 

I  therefore  divide  the  two  uses  :  Peace. — Already,  even  though 
little  really  has  been  done  with  the  military  motor-car,  we  hear 
the  cry  of  the  energetic  staff  officer,  striving  for  the  efficient 
control  of  his  command,  that  he  cannot  get  through  his  work 
properly  without  the  assistance  of  motor-cars.  This  cry  may 
be  answered  by  the  conservative  that  as  four  years  ago — only  a 
short  four  years — he  was  satisfied  with  the  horse  and  the 
other  ordinary  means  of  transport,  he  ought  to  be  able  to  get 
on  well  enough  now  with  the  same  means.  I  doubt  whether  a 
really  thoroughly  energetic  officer  was  satisfied — he  did  what 
he  could  ;  but  I  am  certain  he  felt  that  he  would  have  done 
more  had  he  the  proper  means.  Failing  the  proper  means,  he 
had  to  be  satisfied  with  periodical  and  formal  visits  to  out- 
lying troops  stiffened  by  dreary  "  memos,"  the  constant  source 
of  trouble  to  himself  and  irritation  to  his  subordinates. 

With  motor-cars  at  the  disposal  of  a  general  and  his  staff 
nowadays  personal  attention  can  be  given  to  all  points  in  a 
command — there  is  no  need  of  formal  inspection.  A  morning 
will  allow  a  general  to,  say,  witness  a  brigade  field-day  twenty 
miles  from  headquarters,  and  be  back  in  time  to  see  how  a 
colonel  is  conducting  the  field  firing  of  his  battalion.  Every 
one  of  his  staff  are  enabled,  given  that  enough  cars  are  provided, 
to  give  detailed  and  personal  attention  to  the  duties  which  are 
being  carried  out  under  their  orders  instead  of — as  in  past  years 
— directing  the  whole  from  an  office. 

For  technical  officers,  too,  such  as  the  Artillery,  Engineer, 
and  Army  Service  Corps  Commanders,  the  use  of  motor-cars  is 
essential — yes,  essential.  I  use  the  word  intentionally,  as  I  am 
convinced  that  no  work  is  ever  properly  supervised  unless  it  is 
supervised  in  person.  The  more  technical  and  thorough  our 
military  training  becomes — and  it  is  daily  becoming  more 
technical  and  thorough — the  more  does  personal  supervision  of 


A   PACKET   OF   LETl^ERS  283 

the  senior  officers  become  necessary,  and  to  ensure  their  per- 
sonal supervision  the  unrestricted  powers  of  rapid  locomotion 
afforded  by  the  use  of  a  motor-car  are  essential. 

So  far  I  have  merely  considered  the  ordinary  routine  work  at 
stations  in  peace,  but  when  we  consider  the  broader  details  of 
military  training,  the  use  of  the  car  is  brought  into  even  greater 
prominence.  For  staff  rides,  inspections  by  staff  officers  or  by 
the  officers  detailed  for  the  occupation  of  defensive  positions, 
and  similar  items  in  the  routine  of  military  training  during 
which  large  areas  are  covered,  the  motor-car  has  been  already 
acknowledged  to  be  a  necessary  factor  ;  and  for  manoeuvres, 
when  the  decisions  given  in  real  warfare  by  the  bullet  and  shell 
have  to  be  replaced  by  the  decisions  of  umpires,  the  motor-car 
not  only  makes  it  possible  for  the  umpires  to  obtain  a  much 
more  accurate  knowledge  of  what  has  been  going  on,  but  also 
enables  them  to  circulate  their  decisions — not  so  fast,  perhaps, 
as  the  bullet  will  do  it,  but  still  faster  than  has  ever  before  been 
possible  ;  thus  our  manoeuvres  with  the  motor-car  are  a  good 
deal  nearer  the  "  real  thing  "  than  they  used  to  be. 

Now,  you  see,  all  this  is  purely  peace  use,  and  none  of  the 
purposes  which  I  have  spoken  about  above  are  in  any  way 
connected  with  war.  However,  I  contend  that  they  are  all 
valuable  uses  tending  to  improve  the  efficiency  of  our  Army,  and 
so  make  it  a  more  efficient  fighting  force.  Even  were  it  shown 
that  the  car  is  of  no  use  at  all  in  war,  still  I  should  maintain 
that  there  is  quite  enough  useful  work  for  it  to  do  to  justify  its 
permanent  adoption  by  us. 

But  is  it  useless  in  war?  Surely  not.  In  the  first  place, 
there  are  one  or  two  obvious  uses  for  the  motor-car  on  active 
service.  The  first  is  at  the  bases  of  operations.  We  must 
always  start  from  a  seaport  (I  don't  contemplate  invasion). 
At  such  a  port  motor-cars  would  be  invaluable  to  the  staff,  as 
rapidity  of  movement  is  of  the  greatest  value.  Next  to  the 
telegraph  and  telephone  I  look  upon  rapid  locomotion  as  the 
greatest  aid  to  the  efficient  handling  of  the  troops  and  stores 
which  are  landed  at  a  base.  It  really  comes  back  to  the  same 
question — personal  supervision.  The  staff  officer  responsible  at 
a  base  can  with  a  car  be  much  more  in  personal  touch  with 
what  is  going  on  and  less  dependent  upon  written  reports  and 
instructions,  as  he  can  get  about  rapidly  and  easily. 


284  THE   COMPLETE    MOTORIST 

The  next  natural  use  of  a  car  will  be  in  the  command  of 
transport  columns — moving  from  the  railway  to  the  advanced 
bases.  Mechanical  transport  is  bound  to  come  for  this  purpose 
sooner  or  later,  and  when  not  mixed  up  with  animal  transport 
will  prove  a  rapid  means  of  locomotion.  The  officer  in  com- 
mand of  such  a  column  composed,  as  I  expect  to  see  in  future 
wars — especially  in  countries  where  roads  exist — of  mechanic- 
ally propelled  vehicles,  will  require  a  motor-car  for  his  use  to 
properly  keep  touch  with  the  whole  of  it.  Even  where  horsed 
wheeled  transport  is  employed  a  car  would  be  of  the  greatest 
value  to  the  transport  officer,  enabling  him  to  keep  himself  in 
touch  with  all  that  is  going  on  along  the  whole  long  line  of 
vehicles. 

Beyond  these  uses  it  is  difficult  to  lay  down  definitely  a  role 
at  present  for  the  motor-car  in  such  wars  as  we  are  likely  to 
be  engaged  upon.  Of  course,  in  European  countries  things  are 
different,  and  undoubtedly  there  is  an  enormous  role  for  the 
car,  almost  right  up  to  the  firing-line.  Where  roads  exist  cars 
and  motor  cycles  will  be  used  largely,  I  am  sure,  for  keeping 
units  in  touch  with  one  another,  carrying  officers  and  reports 
from  the  various  sections  of  an  army  to  its  commander,  and  so 
relieving  the  mounted  soldier  from  a  large  amount  of  orderly 
duty  and  making  him  free  for  his  proper  work  of  fighting.  But 
with  us,  fighting  as  we  usually  do  in  wild  and  generally  roadless 
countries,  the  car  has  not  yet  been  brought  to  such  a  pitch  of 
perfection  where  it  can  be  counted  on  as  a  fighting  machine. 

There  will  undoubtedly  be  many  uses  to  which  it  will  be  put 
by  the  intelligent  officer,  as  was  the  case  even  in  South  Africa 
when  the  car  was  hardly  out  of  the  nursery,  but  I  am  consider- 
ing it  as  a  machine  for  regular  use.  The  difficulties  of  a  self- 
propelled  vehicle  in  getting  about  in  rough  places  are  at  present 
very  great.  That  these  will  be  got  over  in  time,  and  that  we 
shall  see  before  many  years  self-propelled  vehicles  moving 
where  any  horse-hauled  vehicle  can  go,  I  have  no  doubt  what- 
ever, but  sanguine  as  I  am  of  the  great  present  use  and  still 
greater  future  value  of  the  motor-car  for  military  purposes,  I  am 
not  so  blind  to  its  present  disabilities  to  want  to  sweep  the 
horse-drawn  vehicle  away  altogether. 

In  fact,  a  maxim  that  should  be  impressed  deeply  into  the 
mind  of  every  intending  user,  not  only  of  the  motor-car,  but  of 


A   PACKET   OF   LETTERS  285 

any  form  of  self-propelled  vehicle,  is  :  "  Don't  attempt  to  use  a 
self-propelled  vehicle  on  service  before  you've  learnt  what  it 
tvon't  do." — Believe  me,  yours  truly, 

F.  Lindsay  Lloyd 

VI 

From    RUDYARD    KIPLING 

Capetown 
April,  1904 
Dear  Filson  Young, 

I  like  motoring  because  I  have  suffered  for  its  sake.  I 
began  seven  years  ago  in  the  days  of  tube  ignition,  when  6  h.p. 
was  reckoned  fair  allowance  for  a  touring  car,  and  fifteen  miles 
an  hour  was  something  to  talk  about.  My  agonies,  shames, 
delays,  rages,  chills,  parboilings,  road-walkings,  water-drawings, 
burns,  and  starvations,  at  which  you  laughed — in  the  Kinfauns 
Castle  in  1900 — all  went  to  make  your  car  to-day  safe  and  com- 
fortable. If  there  were  no  dogs  there  would  be  no  vivisection, 
and  people  would  still  be  treated  on  the  lines  of  Galen  and 
Avicenna,  Any  fool  can  invent  anything,  as  any  fool  can  wait 
to  buy  the  invention  when  it  is  thoroughly  perfected  ;  but  the 
men  to  reverence,  to  admire,  to  write  odes  and  erect  statues  to, 
are  those  Prometheuses  and  Ixions  (maniacs,  you  used  to  call 
us)  who  chase  the  inchoate  idea  to  fixity  up  and  down  the 
King's  Highway  with  their  red  right  shoulders  to  the  wheel. 

Yes,  I  love  because  I  have  suffered.  Suffered,  as  I  now  see, 
in  the  cause  of  Humanity. 

You  ask  how  the  motor  has  helped  me?  In  the  first  years  it 
was  you  and  the  likes  of  you  that  I  v/as  helping,  for  all  my  real 
progress  over  the  ground  was  by  fly  or  in  the  chance-met  dung- 
cart.  The  early  Neo-Gallic  car  did  no  more  than  raise  me  to  a 
nobler  plane  of  thought.  I  have  heard  men  of  the  new  genera- 
tion— late-comers  to  a  game  made  easy — use  language  over  a 
faulty  spark  or  a  stuck  valve  that  would  almost  disgrace  the 
childish  golfer.  My  mouth  was  emptied  of  these  vanities  long 
ago.  I  can  spend  three  hours  in  dark  and  cold  with  a  leaky 
tube  that  needs  attention  every  two  hundred  yards,  and  a  virgin 
may  listen  to  my  every  word.  But  of  the  Moral  Aspect  of 
Things  hereafter. 

Nowadays,  my  car  helps  me  to  live  at  a  decent  distance  from 


28G  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

any  town  without  sacrificing  what  house-agents  call  the  ameni- 
ties. I  am  rid  of  the  whole  tribe  of  coachmen,  saddlers,  corn- 
dealers,  smiths,  and  vets.  I  can  catch  me  a  train  anywhere 
within  fifteen  miles  when  I  please,  and  not  when  the  Jenny's 
hind  leg  or  Jack's  cough  is  better  ;  and  if  I  visit,  I  do  so  as  a 
free  agent,  making  my  own  arrangements  for  coming  and  going. 
In  all  cross-country  journeys  I  am  from  one  to  four  hours 
quicker  than  the  local  train  service.  On  main  line  routes  I  hold 
my  own — in  greater  comfort  than  the  railway  can  give  me — up  to 
forty  miles. 

But  the  chief  end  of  my  car,  so  far  as  I  am  concerned,  is  the 
discovery  of  England.  To  me  it  is  a  land  full  of  stupefying 
marvels  and  mysteries ;  and  a  day  in  the  car  in  an  English 
county  is  a  day  in  some  fairy  museum  where  all  the  exhibits 
are  alive  and  real  and  yet  none  the  less  delightfully  mixed  up 
with  books.  For  instance,  in  six  hours,  I  can  go  from  the  land 
of  the  Ingoldsby  Legends  by  way  of  the  Norman  Conquest  and 
the  Barons'  War  into  Richard  Jefferies'  country,  and  so  through 
the  Regency,  one  of  Arthur  Young's  less  known  tours,  and 
Celids  Arbour,  into  Gilbert  White's  territory.  Horses,  after  all, 
are  only  horses  ;  but  the  car  is  a  time-machine  on  which  one  can 
slide  from  one  century  to  another  at  no  more  trouble  than  the 
pushing  forward  of  a  lever.  On  a  morning  I  have  seen  the 
Assizes,  javelin-men  and  all,  come  into  a  cathedral  town  ;  by 
noon  I  was  skirting  a  new-built  convent  for  expelled  French 
nuns  ;  before  sundown  I  was  watching  the  Channel  Fleet  off 
Selsea  Bill,  and  after  dark  I  nearly  broke  a  fox's  back  on  a 
Roman  road.  You  who  were  born  and  bred  in  the  land  natur- 
ally take  such  trifles  for  granted,  but  to  me  it  is  still  miraculous 
that  if  I  want  petrol  in  a  hurry  I  must  either  pass  the  place 
where  Sir  John  Lade  lived,  or  the  garden  where  Jack  Cade  was 
killed.  In  Africa  one  has  only  to  put  the  miles  under  and  go 
on  ;  but  in  England  the  dead,  twelve  coffin  deep,  clutch  hold  of 
my  wheels  at  every  turn,  till  I  sometimes  wonder  that  the  very 
road  does  not  bleed.  That  is  the  real  joy  of  motoring — the  ex- 
ploration of  this  amazing  England. 

But  to  revert  to  the  Moral  Aspect ;  and  in  continuation  of 
some  of  my  remarks  on  the  Kinfauns.  Have  you  noticed  how 
the  motor  is  the  most  efficient  temperance  advocate,  and  the 
only  Education  Act  at  present  enforced,  in  Great  Britain  ?     A 


A    PACKET   OF  LETTERS  287 

horse  in  most  harnesses  does  the  work  for  which  his  driver  is 
paid  ;  and  when  the  man  is  more  than  usual  drunk  the  beast 
will  steer  him  home.  Not  so  the  car.  She  demands  of  her 
driver  a  certain  standard  of  education,  the  capacity  of  unflicker- 
ing  attention,  and  absolute  sobriety.  Failure  to  comply  with 
her  indent  means  death,  mutilation,  or  fine  in  the  shape  of  a 
heavy  repair  bill.  There  is  no  argument  :  there  is  no  conces- 
sion :  above  all,  there  are  no  carrots.  She  is  a  condition,  not  a 
theory.  Think  what  her  presence,  in  registered  thousands,  will 
mean  to  a  nation  which  has  been  laboriously  trained  never  to 
admit  the  existence  of  a  condition  if  that  condition  conflicts  or 
seems  likely  to  conflict  with  any  one  of  its  theories  !  Even  now 
I  see  improvement.  There  are  on  the  twenty  odd  miles  which 
divide  me  from  the  nearest  town  westward  thirty-one  or  thirty- 
seven  pubs.  In  front  of  each  I  used  to  find  at  least  two  un- 
attended horses.  Now  there  are  fewer  beasts  outside,  and  those 
within  are  not  so  sodden.  They  keep  one  ear  up  the  road  ; 
they  set  down  their  tankards  ;  they  leap  from  the  bar  ;  they  run 
to  their  horses'  heads.  They  break,  if  it  be  but  for  an  instant, 
the  habit  of  ages.  What  has  wrought  the  change  in  our  midst  ? 
Tracts  ?  Blue  Ribbons  ?  The  Fifth  Standard  ?  That  would 
not  be  the  Te-rewth.  It  is  the  Car — the  Unexpected  Car  round 
the  corner. 

I  have  seen  carriers,  awake  and  erect  on  their  seats  by  the 
hour,  both  reins  in  their  hands  and  both  eyes  on  their  pair.  I 
have  seen  the  fat  coachmen  of  the  fat  landaus  and  barouches 
that  bumble  round  the  country-side  visibly  driving — a  thing 
which,  the  horses  attested,  they  had  not  done  for  years.  I  have 
seen  the  whole  of  a  hunting-field  sit  down  and  really  ride  their 
mounts.  Some  of  them  did  it  very  badly,  but  they  all  tried. 
I  have  seen  men  walking  on  the  road  suddenly  and  accurately 
distinguish  between  their  left  hand  and  their  right,  and  this  not 
for  political  reasons,  as  a  tenet  of  religion  or  as  a  form  of  sport, 
but  automatically  and  almost  as  though  it  were  the  ingrained 
instinct  of  a  highly  organised  civilisation.  Seven  years  ago 
accuracy,  precision,  restraint,  the  idea  of  projecting  one's  imagi- 
nation a  hundred  yards  ahead  of  one's  nose  down  an  apparently 
empty  road  did  not  exist.  It  is  the  Car,  my  dear  Young,  that 
we  have  to  thank  for  the  quickened  intellect,  the  alerter  eye, 
the  more  agile  limbs,  and  the  less  unquenchable  thirst  of  our 


288  THE   COMPLETE    MOTORIST 

fellow-citizens,  as  well  as  for  the  higher  standard  of  decency 
now  attained  by  our  officially  dumb  companions.  I  know  a 
rooster  on  the  Heathfield  Road  who,  but  that  he  is  honest,  might 
be  made  constable  over  a  trap.  He  can  judge  to  a  fraction  the 
speed  of  every  motor  that  comes  his  way,  and  since  he  has  no 
tail  to  speak  of  he  takes  chances  that  bring  the  heart  into  your 
mouth.  But  he  survives,  and  I  do  not  doubt  will  be  the  sire  of 
a  line  of  double-breasted,  facing-both-ways  poultry.  And  there 
is  a  dog  who  was  once  bold  against  the  bare  legs  of  children 
and  the  skirts  of  nurses — the  sort  of  ravening  hound  of  whom 
his  owner  says,  "  It's  only  his  play.  He  won't  hurt  you  unless 
you  show  you're  afraid  of  him."  Last  year  my  car  caught  him 
on  the  shoulder  and  hoisted  him  nearly  as  high  as  Sirius.  He 
came  down  again  quite  well,  thank  you,  but  so  changed — and 
so  vastly  for  the  better  !     He,  too,  will  propagate  polite  puppies. 

Thus  do  we  all  benefit  by  the  Note  of  the  Age,  which  is  the 
motor-horn. 

As  the  English  mail  is  just  closing  and  I  want  to  go  for  a 
trip  to  Stellenbosch  I  will  spare  you  the  rest  of  the  sermon. 
The  subject  is  inexhaustible,  but  I  am, 

Yours  ever  considerately, 

RuDYARD  Kipling 


CHAPTER   XIV 
L.  S.  D. 

The  seamy  side — Unprofitable  comparisons — Upkeep  of  a  light  car — Upkeep  of  a 
steam  car — The  keeping  of  accounts — Things  that  are  forgotten — A  liberal 
estimate — Maintenance  of  a  touring  car — A  doctor's  car — Electric  carriages 
and  their  cost — A  legitimate  comparison — The  two  great  expenses — Petrol  or 
Alcohol? — A  year's  expenditure. 

THESE  three  letters  represent  in  too  many  cases  the  seamy 
side  of  motoring.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  most 
serious  hindrance  to  its  pleasures  is  that  they  are  expensive, 
and  therefore  tend  to  become  restricted  to  people  who  need 
them  least.  A  good  deal  of  harm  has  been  done  by  people 
who  boast  that  their  motoring  costs  them  next  to  nothing  and 
that,  by  some  extraordinary  method  of  arithmetic,  it  can  be 
shown  to  be  cheaper  to  drive  a  motor-car  than  to  do  nothing 
at  all.  Here  again,  as  in  the  selection  of  a  car,  everything 
depends  upon  what  the  owner  expects,  what  kind  of  service 
he  demands.  If  a  motor-car  is  kept  as  a  substitute  for  the 
railway  train,  it  will  be  a  very  expensive  business  ;  but  it  will 
not  be  so  expensive  as  keeping  a  private  railway  train.  If  it 
is  used  as  a  substitute  for  a  carriage  and  two  pairs  of  horses, 
it  will  again  be  expensive ;  but  it  will  not  be  so  expensive  as 
keeping  a  carriage  and  two  pairs  of  horses.  If  it  is  used 
merely  as  a  substitute  for  a  single-horse  trap,  it  will  still  be 
a  recognisable  item  in  one's  annual  expenditure ;  but  it  may, 
given  very  good  luck,  be  not  quite  so  expensive  as  a  horse  and 
trap.  But  if  it  is  used  as  a  substitute  for  morning  strolls  and 
afternoon  walks  only,  it  may  not  be  very  expensive,  but  it  will 
certainly  cost  more  than  the  walks. 

So  that  it  all  depends  upon  what  you  want  your  motor-car 
for,  and  what  you  want  to  do  with  it.     The  very  lowest  sum  for 
u  289 


290 


THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 


which  a  motor-car  can  be  kept  and  used  is  £S'^  per  annum  ; 
but  this  involves  the  greatest  economy,  such  as  only  using  the 
car  in  fine  weather,  avoiding  roads  covered  with  loose,  unrolled 
flints,  and  the  undertaking  of  the  entire  care  and  supervision 
of  the  car  by  the  owner  himself.  We  will  take  the  case  of  a 
little  car  costing  from  £iSO  to  ;^200.  Such  a  car  would  pro- 
bably av'erage  thirty  miles  for  every  gallon  of  petrol  consumed. 
With  an  average  mileage  of  lOO  miles  per  week  the  yearly 
mileage  of  5,000  may  be  reckoned  ;  and  this  is  about  the  lowest 
mileage  upon  which  (on  purely  economical  grounds)  it  is  de- 
sirable to  use  a  motor-car  at  all ;  a  pony  and  trap,  if  the  means 
of  upkeep  are  cheap,  would  do  for  anything  less.  But  taking 
5,000  miles  as  a  basis,  the  very  lowest  expenses  that  I  can 
estimate  would  be  as  follows.  I  may  say  that  all  the  tables 
in  this  chapter  are  founded  on  actual  experience. 

£    s. 
Petrol             .             .              .             .  .     II    10 
Lubricating  oils  and  grease  .             .  .310 
Insurance      .             .             .              .  -4 
Occasional  help  in  cleaning                .  .       5 
Tyres             .             .              .             .  -9 
Licences        .             .             .             .  .2 
Repairs  and  replacements,  including  charg- 
ing and  renewal  of  accumulators  .       8 
Stabling         .             .             .             .  .5 
Depreciation              .             .             .  •     15 


10 
o 
o 


Total 


^63   17     o 


This,  to  be  sure,  is  a  little  more  than  ;^50 ;  but  against  the 
balance  may  be  set  the  sum  gained  either  if  stabling  can  be  had 
for  nothing  or  if  depreciation  is  not  charged,  although  it  should 
be  remembered  that  depreciation  is  a  proper  and  important 
charge  against  the  cost  of  a  motor-car,  particularly  if  it  is  a 
small  and  cheap  one,  as  there  is  practically  no  second-hand 
market  for  these  cars.  Only  in  the  most  expensive  and  newest 
types  of  motor-car  can  depreciation  be  ignored,  because  in  such 
a  case  it  is  possible,  by  ordering  a  high-powered  and  expensive 
car  of  first-class  repute  beforehand  and  waiting  for  delivery,  to 
use  it  for  a  year  and  then  sell  it  at  a  premium.  I  will  now  give 
an  estimate  for  the  upkeep  of  a  light,  steam  car  of  about  the 


L.   S.   D. 


291 


same  horse-power  as  the  cheap  petrol  car.  In  this  case  it  is 
again  presupposed  that  the  owner  is  competent  to  make  all 
adjustments  and  minor  repairs  such  as  do  not  require  machine 
tools.  The  upkeep  of  such  a  car,  provided  paraffin  were  burned, 
would  under  the  most  favourable  circumstances  (but  only  under 
the  most  favourable  circumstances)  be  less  than  that  of  a 
petrol  car. 

£ 
Paraffin         .  .  .  .  .8 


Tyres 

Lubricating  oil  and  grease 

Repairs  and  replacements 

Insurance 

Licences 

Help  in  cleaning 

Stabling  and  sundries 


Total 


^40     7 


These  figures,  it  must  be  understood,  refer  only  to  a  car  kept 
under  only  absolutely  favourable  circumstances  and  with  the 
best  of  luck.  I  have  given  them  in  order  to  show  what  I  con- 
sider to  be  the  absolute  minimum  to  be  allowed  for  upkeep 
under  such  circumstances,  and  in  either  case  a  sum  of  at  least 
i^io  should  be  allowed  for  depreciation. 

It  is  always  possible  to  get  accurate  statistics  of  upkeep  from 
various  people  who  keep  very  careful  accounts,  and  who  are 
thus  able  to  show  at  the  end  of  the  year  what  has  been  charged 
in  their  books  against  the  cost  of  a  motor-car.  Nevertheless, 
such  tables  are  apt  to  be  a  snare  in  more  ways  than  one.  For 
one  thing,  accounts  so  accurate  are  seldom  kept  but  by  persons 
with  some  genius  for  economy ;  and  the  tendency  of  such 
persons  is  to  under-estimate  their  expenditure  for  any  given 
purpose,  in  order  to  show  with  what  economy  they  can  conduct 
their  affairs.  The  man  who  is  anxious  to  buy  a  motor-car,  more- 
over, but  is  doubtful  as  to  whether  he  can  afford  it,  is  also  led 
by  his  wishes  to  take  a  somewhat  rosy  view  of  the  cheapness 
of  a  motor-car,  and  he  is  prone  to  accept  without  demur  the 
figures  of  the  economical  persons,  even  when  he  knows  in  his 
own  heart  that  he  is  by  nature  not  economical,  and  that  his 
actual    expenditure    is    almost    bound    to    exceed    any    given 


292  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

estimate.  An  interesting  table,  for  example,  was  recently  con- 
tributed to  the  Autocar  by  a  member  of  the  Scottish  Automobile 
Club.  His  figures  referred  to  the  cost  of  running  a  lo  h.p.  car 
for  7,065  miles,  and  are  as  follows  : — 


£    s. 

d. 

Light,  oils,  and  grease 

•       3     5 

6^ 

Petrol          .... 

2212 

8 

Repairs  and  replacements  . 

12     9 

1 1 

Tyres           .... 

•     27   15 

3 

Sundries,  licence,  stabling,  and  washi 

ng 

14  10 

iiA 

Total  ;^8o  14     4 

The  halfpence  in  this  estimate  are  significant.  They  are 
perhaps  explained  by  the  nationality  of  the  owner ;  but  in  any 
case,  they  indicate  the  care  taken  to  cut  down  the  statistics 
to  the  lowest  possible  point.  No  charge  is  made  either  for 
insurance  or  depreciation,  and  in  any  case  the  charge  for 
stabling  and  washing  seems  unusually  low.  But  even  so,  and 
taking  this  as  a  fair  example  of  how  little  a  car  can  be  run  on, 
there  are  many  expenses  incidental  to  the  keeping  of  a  motor- 
car which  do  not  appear,  and  could  not  very  well  be  reckoned 
in  such  an  account.  These  consist  of  expenses  on  the  road — a 
far  from  small  item.  There  are  all  kinds  of  petty  expenses 
incidental  to  travelling  in  a  motor-car,  which,  perhaps,  are  not 
seriously  considered  at  the  time,  but  which  at  the  end  of  a  year 
amount  to  a  very  substantial  sum.  This  motorist  employed  no 
servant,  and  was  his  own  motor-man.  What,  then,  of  all  the 
tips  at  roadside  hotels,  the  shillings  given  for  a  can  of  water  here 
or  for  washing  there,  the  hotel  and  garage  expenses  incurred — 
perhaps  contrary  to  the  original  intention — the  cost  of  carriage 
and  travelling  expenses  in  connection  with  repairs  and  re- 
newals ?  These  may  seem  small  matters,  and  in  this  particular 
case  may  not  have  amounted  to  a  great  deal,  but  in  the 
average  case  they  would  certainly  occur,  and  would  amount 
to  at  least  a  sovereign  for  every  thousand  miles  run.  Nor 
can  there  be  any  allowance  made  in  such  tables  for  what 
may  be  called  the  human  nature  of  motoring,  the  purchase 
of  all  kinds  of  alluring  accessories,  the  little  extravagances 
indulged  in  at  the  automobile  exhibitions,  the  cost  of  special 
clothing  and  rugs,  the  little  electrical  devices  adopted  and  dis- 


L.   S.   D. 


293 


carded.  Some  of  these  things  might  not  be  considered  by  an 
accountant  as  a  fair  charge  against  the  upkeep  of  a  motor-car, 
but  they  are  undoubtedly  a  fair  charge  against  the  cost  of 
motoring ;  they  are  part  of  the  expenditure  into  which  one 
is  led  by  the  possession  of  a  motor-car.  It  may  be  urged  in 
opposition  that  if  there  were  no  motor-cars  this  money  would 
be  spent  in  other  pleasures,  and  that  therefore  it  is  not  a  fair 
charge ;  but  it  may  be  taken  as  a  rule  for  the  man  of  moderate 
income  that  motoring  is  the  most  expensive  form  of  amusement 
he  has  hitherto  indulged  in  ;  and  in  any  case,  that  if  its 
accessory  expenses  take  the  place  of  money  which  he  would 
have  spent  in  other  matters,  they  must  still  be  charged  to  its 
account,  for  they  will  presumably  no  longer  be  charged  to  any 
other.  I  will  now  give  an  estimate  of  what  I  think  is  a  fair 
average  of  the  actual  money  spent  in  connection  with  motoring 
by  a  man  who  owns  a  car  of  from  lo  to  15  h.p.,  travels  7,000 
miles  on  it  in  the  year,  takes  friends  out  for  drives  on  it  and  acts 
as  their  host  on  such  occasions,  devotes  to  its  care  the  services 
of  a  man  already  in  his  employment  in  some  other  capacity,  and 
whose  labours  have,  therefore,  to  be  reinforced  by  some  un- 
skilled assistant,  and  generally  makes  a  full  and  agreeable  use 
of  the  car.  I  have  no  wish  to  frighten  would-be  motorists ;  but 
I  think  few  of  us  realise  the  amount  of  money  that  we  spend 
in  connection  with  our  motor-car  journeys — what  Stevenson 
called  "  the  constant  lapse  of  small  coin,"  which  is  inseparable 
from  travel  of  any  kind. 


Petrol 

£ 
27 

s. 
10 

d. 
0 

Lubricating  oil  and  grease 

5 

10 

0 

Repairs  and  replacements 

Tyres 

Cost  of  meals  on  the  road 

35 
30 
25 

0 
0 
0 

0 
0 
0 

Insurance 

8 

0 

0 

Licences 

2 

7 

0 

Lamps,  carbide,  etc. 

3 

10 

0 

Sundry  accessories    . 

5 

0 

0 

Special  clothing,  glasses,  rugs,  etc. 
Proportion  of  servant's  wages 
Carriage 

7 

25 
2 

10 

0 

10 

0 
0 
0 

Ignition  expenses,  cleaning  cloths,  brushes. 

and  sundries      .... 

3 

10 

0 

Total 

^ 

c 

[81 

7 

0 

294 


THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 


I  will  now  give  another  table  covering  the  cost  of  running  a 
20-24  h.p.  car  which  is  used  for  touring  on  the  Continent  as 
well  as  in  England — in  the  use  of  which  economy  is  not  allowed 
to  interfere  with  pleasure,  and  for  the  care  of  which  an  expert 
mechanic  is  kept.  The  services  of  such  a  man  can  seldom  be 
secured  for  less  than  £'^  a  week,  but  as  he  would  be  able  to 
undertake  all  adjustments  and  minor  repairs,  the  repair  bill  at 
the  manufacturer's  ought  to  be  considerably  lighter  than  if  a 
less  competent  man  were  kept.  Motel  expenses  are,  of  course, 
not  charged  in  this  table,  but  the  hotel  and  travelling  expenses 
of  the  mechanic  are  charged.     The  expenses  in  this  table  are 

Char^e*^    ^'^^   ^^'^    atmnal    3^7(=>t"ao"/=>  nf    T  O  nnn  mil(=>Q 


\_i    ivji    cm   diiiiuai   av»-iagv-   wi     1  w,www   1 

1 1 1 1 1„  .-> 

£ 

s. 

d. 

Petrol            .... 

48 

15 

0 

Repairs  and  replacements     . 

30 

0 

0 

Lubricating  oil  and  grease    . 

7 

0 

0 

Tyres             .... 

45 

0 

0 

Insurance      .... 

10 

0 

0 

Licences        .... 

2 

7 

0 

Extra  insurance  on  motor-house 

2 

10 

0 

Lamps,  carbide,  etc. 

5 

15 

0 

Sundry  accessories,  including  special 

cloth 

ing,  glasses,  rugs,  etc.     . 

7 

10 

0 

Mechanic's  wages 

150 

0 

0 

Ditto,  travelling  expenses 

18 

10 

0 

Ditto,  clothing 

10 

10 

0 

Ditto,  licence 

2 

2 

0 

Cost  of  shipping  car,  foreign  dues,  etc 

10 

0 

0 

Carriage  on  repairs  and  stores 

2 

10 

0 

Annual  overhaul 

15 

0 

0 

Ignition  expenses,  cleaning  cloths  and  motor 

- 

house  sundries  . 

•       5 

10 

0 

Total 


£zn   9   o 


I  think  this  is  a  pretty  low  estimate  for  what  may  be  regarded 
as  the  most  luxurious  kind  of  motoring,  although  if  a  higher- 
powered  car  be  kept  the  cost  will  be  greatly  increased  ;  and  the 
cost  of  keeping  and  using  freely  a  40-50  h.p.  car  cannot  be 
much  less  than  ;^5oo  a  year,  and  may  be  a  great  deal  more. 
But  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the  more  freely  the  car  is 
used,  and  the  more  it  consequently  costs  in  upkeep,  the  greater 


L.   S.   D. 


295 


is  the  sum  which  must  be  credited  to  its  account  as  saved  in 
expenses  incidental  to  other  means  of  travel.  It  is  quite  con- 
ceivable that  the  possessor  of  a  motor-car  who  spends  ;^300 
a  year  upon  its  upkeep  may  save  an  annual  sum  of  not  far 
short  of  that  amount ;  and  if  he  was  formerly  a  devotee  of  the 
stable  and  has  given  up  several  horses  to  make  room  for  his 
new  possession,  it  is  likely  that  he  would  save  a  good  deal 
more.  But,  of  course,  in  the  region  of  mere  luxury  the  cost 
of  upkeep,  and  what  is  saved  or  spent  by  the  use  of  a  motor- 
car, becomes  of  very  little  importance. 

For  medical  men,  who  have  to  cover  long  distances  daily 
in  the  course  of  their  practice,  there  seems  to  be  a  very  real 
economy  of  time  and  money  in  the  use  of  a  motor-car.  The 
following  interesting  comparison  was  contributed  to  a  recent 
number  of  the  Autocar  by  a  country  doctor  who  had  substituted 
a  motor-car  for  his  single  horse  and  trap  : — 


Per  year. 
£    s.     d. 


40     o 

4     o 

2  o 
I    10 

12    10 
67      o 

3  o 


HORSE    EXPENSES. 

Horse  expenses  (per  week  155. — this  includes 

food,  hay,  and  straw) 
Shoeing 

Veterinary  account    . 
Harness  repairs,  average 
Carriage  repairs,  average 
Coachman,  26^'.  per  week 
Livery,  boots,  whips,  sponges,  etc. 

Total 

MOTOR-CAR    EXPENSES. 

Tyres,  average  cost   .  .   . 

Petrol  for  100  miles  a  week  (this  is  probably 

more  than  the  horse  has  done)  at  \s, 

per  gallon  for  25  miles  . 
Repairs  average  about 
Youth  at  \^s.  per  week 
Sponges,  leather,  etc. 

Total  £,^-\     o     o 

With  regard  to  the  keeping  of  carriages  in  town,  there  is,  for 
those  who  make  use  of  them  freely,  a  real  economy  in  the  use 


^^130 

0   0 

Per  year. 

£ 

s.       d. 

20 

0     0 

10 

10     0 

12 

10     0 

.    40 

0     0 

I 

0     0 

296 


THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 


of  an  electric  carriage,  costly  as  these  undoubtedly  are  to  buy 
and  run.  The  admirable  organisation  of  the  Electromobile 
Company  and  the  City  and  Suburban  Electric  Carriage  Com- 
pany abolishes  all  trouble  in  the  keeping  of  an  electric  carriage 
in  London,  and  provides  the  greatest  possible  degree  of  con- 
venience. I  will  now  give  some  comparative  tables  showing 
the  difference  in  cost  between  the  keeping  of  carriages  for 
town  use  and  the  keeping  of  electric  carriages.  It  should  be 
remembered,  however,  that  the  only  people  to  whom  the  keep- 
ing of  an  electric  carriage  is  really  an  economy  are  those  who, 
for  a  part  of  the  year  at  least,  use  their  carriages  morning,  after- 
noon, and  night ;  for  which  purpose  at  least  two  pairs  of  horses 
are  necessary,  as  well  as  the  services  of  a  coachman,  an  under- 
coachman,  and  a  helper. 

The  City  and  Suburban  Company  undertakes,  for  a  monthly 
charge  of  ;;^i8  i^s.,  to  house  and  supervise  an  electric  carriage  ; 
to  supply  as  much  electric  current  as  the  carriage  can  use,  and 
to  make  all  adjustments  and  renewals  of  working  parts,  includ- 
ing the  care  and  inspection  of  the  batteries ;  to  wash,  clean,  and 
lubricate,  and  to  supply  all  cleaning  materials ;  and  to  insure 
against  fire  as  well  as  against  damage  to  the  carriage  and  injury 
to  third  parties.  They  also  provide  an  all-day  and  all-night 
service — everything,  in  fact,  except  the  maintenance  of  pneu- 
matic tyres.  Taking  the  first  cost  of  an  electric  landaulette  at 
^^850,  including  tyres,  we  have  the  following  expenses  : — 


£      s.    d. 

£ 

s. 

d. 

Interest  on  capital  ^  3  %    . 

25 

10 

0 

Wages  of  driver 

100 

0 

0 

Clothing 

10 

0 

0 

Licences 

4 

9 

0 

Pneumatic  tyres 

10 

0 

0 

Inclusive  charge  for  upkeep 

225     0     0 

Deduct :  reduction  of  ^5  per 

month  allowed  when  car- 

riage is  out  of  use  for  not 

less  than  thirty  consecutive 

days,    provided     previous 

notice  has  been  given,  say, 

three  months 

15     0     0 

0  '\  C\ 

Q 

Q 

Depreciation  ^  10  % 

^  1  W 

85 

0 

0 

Total 


^444  19     o 


175 

0 

0 

21 

0 

0 

62 

10 

0 

250 

0 

0 

2  I 

0 

0 

5° 

0 

0 

7 

10 

0 

L.   S.   D.  297 

We  will  now  take  the  cost  of  keeping  a  carriage  in  town, 
with  two  pairs  of  horses  and  harness  as  described,  the  first  cost 
of  which  we  will  put  at  ^500,  although  it  might  conceivably  be 
a  little  less,  and  is  often  a  great  deal  more. 

£     s.     d. 
Interest  on  capital  ^,;  3  %    .  .  .        1500 

Stabling  and  accommodation  of  coachmen 

and  helpers      .  .  .  .12500 

Wages  of  coachmanj  under-coachman,  and 
helper  .... 

Veterinary  surgeon  .... 
Liveries,  clothing,  and  licences 
Stabling  expenses  for  four  horses,  including 
brushes,  clothing,  forage,  and  cleaning 
materials  .... 

Coach  builder  and  saddler  . 
Depreciation  («:  10  % 
Insurance    ..... 

Total  £t^1     o     o 

There  is  a  considerable  difference  between  these  amounts ; 
and  there  is  also  a  difference  between  the  security  enjoyed 
by  the  owner  with  regard  to  what  is  called  the  "  reliability " 
of  the  two  forms  of  carriage.  The  electric  carriage  does  not  go 
wrong ;  that  is  to  say,  if  there  is  anything  the  matter  with  its 
batteries  a  new  set  will  be  supplied  while  the  necessary  repairs 
are  being  made;  but  it  is  far  from  certain  that  the  horses  would 
not  suffer  from  ailments  which  would  render  them  periodically 
useless,  I  have,  however,  charged  nothing  for  the  cost  of 
jobbing  in  case  of  the  breakdown  of  any  of  the  horses. 

It  may  be  objected  to  this  comparison  that  comparatively 
few  people  who  use  carriages  in  London  now  keep  their  own 
horses,  carriages,  or  stabling,  but  job  them  by  the  month  or 
year.  Here  again,  however,  I  find  the  cost  of  jobbing  an 
electric  carriage  to  be  less,  though  not  so  much  less,  than  that 
of  jobbing  a  carriage  and  horses,  the  w^ork  of  which  it  performs. 
If  we  take  as  a  basis  for  a  new  comparison  the  residence  in 
town  of  the  user  for  six  months  only  in  the  year,  the  figures 
will  be  as  follows.  The  estimate  for  the  carriage  and  horses 
has  been  furnished  to  me  by  a  large  firm  of  West  End  job- 
masters. 


298  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

Cost  of  jobbing  an  electric  carriage  for  six  months,  including 
driver  and  all  expenses,  £3^0. 

Cost  of  jobbing  one  carriage,  two  pairs  of  horses,  first  and 
second  coachman  and  a  helper,  including  livery,  for  six  months, 
£S^S-  ^n  electric  carriage  can  be  hired  for  £^500  a  year,  while 
the  cost  of  the  necessary  horses  and  carriages  to  do  its  work 
would,  according  to  the  estimate  with  which  I  have  been 
furnished,  be  £714  per  year.  The  cost  of  jobbing  a  single 
brougham  with  one  horse  and  coachman  is  ;^23i  per  year;  and 
one  horse  could  not  do  half  the  work  of  an  electric  carriage, 
the  equivalent  of  which,  it  is  generally  agreed,  is  four  horses 
with  their  necessary  stable  attendants.  So  that  even  in  these 
expensive  and  luxurious  matters  the  motor-car  more  than  holds 
its  own  as  regards  economy. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  a  motor-car  could  be  kept  under 
ideally  cheap  conditions  but  for  two  things — petrol  and  tyres. 
The  man  who  is  his  own  mechanic  and  is  content  with  a  strong, 
simple,  single-cylinder  car,  could  reduce  his  running  expenses  to 
a  very  few  pounds  a  year  if  he  had  not  to  face  the  heavy 
expense  of  petrol  and  pneumatic  tyres.  The  practical  monopoly 
which  exists  in  petrol  has  raised  its  price  to  an  absurd  point, 
and  it  has  become  a  question  whether  some  other  source  of  ex- 
plosive power  should  not  be  sought  which  would  be  free  from 
the  commercial  limitations  by  which  the  use  of  petrol  threatens 
to  be  limited.  The  movement  in  favour  of  using  alcohol 
instead  of  petrol  needs  only  to  be  helped  by  a  slight  alteration 
in  the  excise  laws  to  make  the  whole  matter  a  very  much 
simpler  one  and  to  put  the  motor  industry  on  a  much  sounder 
basis  than  it  enjoys  at  present.  Alcohol  could  be  cheaply 
produced  in  this  country  and  in  Ireland  ;  it  is,  bulk  for  bulk, 
a  more  powerful  motive  agent  than  petrol,  and  it  is  cleaner  and 
simpler  in  its  action.  Paraffin,  given  a  motor  properly  designed 
to  use  it,  is,  of  course,  by  far  the  cheapest  and  most  efficient 
material  for  this  purpose,  but  the  fact  that  there  is  only  one 
kind  of  car  sold  in  England  which  uses  paraffin  as  an  explosive 
agent  seems  to  indicate  that  the  ideal  conditions  of  its  use  have 
not  yet  been  discovered.  A  really  efficient  and  automatic 
steam  car  burning  paraffin  costs  less  to  run  than  a  petrol  car  ; 
but  the  prejudice  against  steam  cars  in  this  country  dies  hard, 
and  the  capital  sunk  in  the  manufacture  of  petrol  cars  is  a 
formidable  opponent  to  the  development  of  steam. 


L.   S.   D. 


299 


With  regard  to  pneumatic  tyres,  there  is  one  and  only  one 
certain  way  to  be  rid  of  the  expenses  connected  with  them,  and 
that  is — not  to  use  them.  The  best  of  them  are  Hable  to  be  cut 
to  pieces  on  a  patch  of  unrolled  flints,  and  there  is  no  avoidance 
of  the  heavy  expenses  involved  in  their  repair  and  replacement. 
]3ut  the  wise  man  who  is  determined  on  economy  will  use  on  a 
light  car  solid  rubber  tyres  ;  only  he  will  see  that  the  car  has 
been  made  specially  for  their  use.  For  speeds  under  twenty 
miles  an  hour  they  are  quite  trustworthy,  and  their  life  on  a 
light  car  is  long.  On  large  and  heavy  cars  they  are  practically 
out  of  the  question ;  but  for  the  poor  man's  car  they  are 
essential  to  economy,  and  are  amply  sufficient  for  comfort,  if 
not  for  luxury. 

As  it  may  interest  some  of  my  readers  to  see  exactly  of  what 
items  the  cost  of  maintaining  a  small  motor-car  is  made  up,  I 
give  here  a  copy  of  a  scrupulously  kept  cash  account  relating  to 
the  running  of  a  small  single-cylinder  petrol  car  for  a  year. 
This  account  has  been  furnished  to  me  by  the  kindness  of 
Mr.  F,  \'V.  Buckmaster.  The  distance  run  during  the  year  was 
8,000  miles,  and  the  car  was  taken  out  in  all  weathers. 


1903. 
Mar.     9. 
»     17- 
„     18. 

„     24. 
April    7. 

I'' 

),      I4- 

»      30- 

May     6. 


May  18. 


May  2: 


Petrol 

)) 
Stauffer's  grease 
Lubricating  oil 
Petrol 


Repairs,  result  of  collision 

Petrol 

Spare  links  for  chain,  driving 

Fitting  gauge  glass  to  petrol  tank 

„       extra  tool  carrier 
Repairing  chain  and  adjusting     . 
Special  bracket  for  front  lamp 
Altering  cylinder  head  for  D.D.  plug 
Extra  bolts     . 
Recharging  accumulators  and  adjusting 

generally 
Two  front  lamps,  silver  plated     . 
Set  of  mudguards  and  cost  of  fixing 
Two  spare  valves,  complete 
Specially  fitted  side  baskets 


£. 

J.    (/. 

.     0 

2     6 

.    0 

2     6 

.     0 

2     0 

.     0 

4     6 

.     0 

2     6 

0 

2     0 

0 

2     6 

0 

7     6 

.     0 

3    0 

.     0 

4    0 

.     I 

9     0 

.     0 

5     6 

.     0 

8     6 

.     0 

7     3 

.     0 

7     9 

.     0 

3     0 

engine 

parts 

.     0 

14    0 

.     0 

12     6 

•    5 

0     0 

.    0 

.     I 

7     6 

12     6 

300 


THE  complp:te  motorist 


190 

3 

May 

22. 

May 

29. 

)) 

>■> 

June 

15- 

July 

I. 

>' 

3- 

1) 

9- 

July 

15- 

July    17. 


June  20 

July  I 

»  3 

„  6 

,,  8 

„  10 

„  16 

July  24 


July    25. 

„     27. 

July    30. 

)) 
Aug.    3. 


Petrol 

Fitting  exhaust  bye-pass 

New  wire  to  throttle  and  repair  petrol  cock 

Oil 

Single-tube  tyre 

„  repair 


Repair  water-pipe 
Recharge  accumulators 
Single-tube  tyre,  repair 

Petrol 


New  wire  to  i-compression  valve 

Repair  water-joint 

Petrol 


Single-tube  tyre,  repair 
Single-tube  tyre,  second-hand 
Repair  pump 

„       carburettor 
Straightening  front  axle  and  fittin 
Fitting  new  chain-wheel  on  back 


)> 

Petrol 

Aug.    6. 

•) 

„     10. 

1) 

„     14- 

)> 

Aug.  24. 

)5 

5J 

Single-tube  tyre  repair  . 

Aug.  28. 

Petrol 

Sept.   4. 

5) 

)> 

Single-tube  tyre  repairs 

Sept.    5. 

Petrol 

„       8. 

)5 

»     IS- 

)) 

»     25. 

J1 

Oct.     2. 

» 

g  cones  and  balls 
axle,  new  emergency 


L.   S.   D. 


301 


1903. 

Oct.     8. 

)) 
Oct.     2. 
Sept.   9. 

)> 
Nov.    4. 
„     20. 
Aug.  24. 


Sept.    8. 
Sept.  1 1. 

)> 
Sept.  12. 
Oct.     8. 

)) 
Nov.  15. 


Nov.  18. 


Dec.  12. 

„     29. 

1904 
Jan.      4. 

n 

Feb.  27. 

)) 
Mar.  ^o. 


Petrol 
Single-tube  tyre 

Oil 

Stauffer's  grease 

Petrol 

Single-tube  tyre  repair 

New  cone  and  balls  to  front  wheel 

Repair  wires  and  terminals 

Oil  can 

New  driving-chain 

General  adjustment 

Sparking  plug 

General  adjustment 

Repair  water-tank  and  radiator   . 

Recharge  accumulators 

Repair  petrol  pipe 

Recharge  and  repair  accumulators 

Taking  ofif  cylinder  head,  repairing  and  re 

Grinding  in  valves,  repairing  petrol  pipe 

New  wire  to  ^-compression 

^-compression  cock  and  fixing 

Repacking  cylinder  head 

New  cylinder 

Cam  wheels    . 

Labour  taking  down  and  refitting 

Recharge  accumulators 

Repair  steering  gear  and  radiator 

Petrol 


Petrol 

Special  fixing  for  rear  lamp 

General  adjustments 

Recharging  accumulators 

Petrol 

Sundry  repairs 

Recharging  accumulators 

Sundry  purchases  of  petrol  while  away  from  town  for 

a  period  of  twelve  months  as  per  log-book  (other 

petrol  was  purchased  in  town) 
Tyre  repair  outfit  .  .  .  106 

Rubber  string,  solution  .  .  40 


£. 

s. 

d. 

0 

3 

0 

3 

15 

0 

4 

0 

0 

0 

5 

3 

0 

I 

6 

0 

3 

0 

0 

9 

6 

0 

3 

6 

0 

4 

3 

0 

•^ 

6 

2 

12 

0 

0 

9 

6 

0 

I 

0 

0 

13 

0 

0 

8 

6 

0 

4 

9 

0 

I 

9 

0 

7 

3 

3 

0 

6 

I 

-^ 

0 

0 

9 

6 

0 

7 

I 

8 

0 

10 

0 

0 

0 

15 

0 

9 

12 

6 

0 

I 

6 

0 

15 

6 

0 

'■* 

4 

0 

4 

8 

0 

3 

6 

0 

9 

0 

0 

I 

0 

0 

9 

4 

I 

4 

6 

0 

•^ 

0 

o  14    6 


Total 


^97  17     I 


302 


THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 


Which  is  analysed  as  follows  :- 

General  repairs 

Additions 

Tyres 

Petrol     . 

Oil  and  grease 


Or,  2'^d.  per  mile  for  8,000  miles. 


£  s.     d.    £    s.     d. 

47  17     3 

II  09 

23  17      6 

15  3     I 
o  18     6 
97   17     I 


Another  way  of  stating  this  account  is  to  show  what  was  paid 
for  the  car  at  the  beginning  of  the  year,  and  what  it  was  sold 
for.     Thus : — 


Original  cost  of  second-hand  car 
Cost  of  running  for  year     . 


Deduct  amount  realised  by  sale  of  car 
Or,  \\d.  per  mile  for  8,000  miles. 


.   125  o  o 

.     97  17  I 

222  17  I 

.     70  o  o 

^^152  17  I 


With  regard  to  this  account,  it  should  be  noticed  that  the 
£\i  for  additions  is  not  an  absolutely  necessary  charge;  and 
also  that  for  this  particular  kind  of  car  an  annual  mileage  of 
8,000  is  too  much — more  than  the  car  is  intended  for.  A 
different  kind  of  tyre  would  also,  I  think,  have  been  more 
suitable  for  such  heavy  work,  and  would  not  have  cost  so  much 
for  repairs  and  renewals.  Moreover,  the  charge  of  £20  for  the 
purchase  and  fitting  of  a  new  cylinder,  owing  to  the  cracking 
of  the  head,  is  purely  an  accident  of  the  peculiar  circumstances. 
But  that  the  car  was  a  second-hand  one  (although  it  had  only 
been  run  about  one  hundred  miles  when  Mr.  Buckmaster  bought 
it)  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  makers  would  have  replaced  the 
cylinder,  which  was  obviously  of  defective  manufacture.  Seventy 
pounds  would  be,  therefore,  a  much  more  usual  figure  than  £<^'j 
for  the  running  of  such  a  car  for  8,000  miles  ;  and  that  works 
out  at  just  over  2d.  per  mile.  The  cost  of  petrol  for  the  8,000 
miles,  even  when  it  was  bought  at  high  retail  prices,  works  out 
at  less  than  \d.  per  mile. 


CHAPTER   XV 
THE   MOTOR-CAR   ABROAD* 

An  ideal  country  for  touring — How  to  get  there — The  necessary  documents — Custom- 
house hours — Inhospitable  Italy — A  matter  of  detail — The  worst  roads  in  Europe 
— Austria  and  Germany — The  cost  of  motor-touring  on  the  Continent — History 
and  geography  at  a  glance. 

THE  delights  of  motoring  can  be  enjoyed  nowhere  so  fully 
as  in  France,  and  it  should  be  the  ambition  of  everyone 
who  has  a  motor-car  to  carry  it  as  soon  as  possible  across  the 
Channel.  In  England  our  roads  are  usually  narrow  and  wind- 
ing ;  the  speed  limit  is  low,  and  the  police  ever  on  the  watch  ; 
bad  weather  often  interferes  with  sport ;  good  garages,  where 
the  services  of  competent  mechanics  can  be  had,  are  rare  ;  hotel 
keepers'  charges  are  high.  France,  as  far  as  automobilism  is 
concerned,  is  twenty  years  ahead  of  England.  The  French 
roads  are  the  best  in  the  world.  The  great  routes  nationales 
might  have  been  engineered  with  a  prophetic  eye  to  the  new 
locomotion,  so  straight  and  smooth  are  they,  so  gently  curving, 
so  delicately  graded.  Motoring  in  France  is  not  a  pastime  of 
the  rich  ;  it  has  become  part  of  the  life  of  the  people.  In  the 
remotest  villages,  and  in  the  humblest  inns,  essence  can  always 
be  bought ;  capable  mechanics  abound  ;  and  the  hotel  keepers, 
alive  to  their  own  best  interests,  charge  nothing  for  putting  up 
a  car  for  the  night. 

To  take  a  car  to  France  is  simple  enough.  A  very  easy  and 
cheap  way  is  to  send  it  direct  to  Boulogne  by  the  Bennett 
Steamship  Company,  from  Chamberlain's  Wharf,  Tooley  Street, 
near  the  Surrey  side  of  London  Bridge.  The  boats  of  this 
company  sail  three  times  a  week,  and  thirty-five  shillings  is  the 
freight  payable.     The  owner  can  either  voyage  to  Boulogne  by 

*  This  chapter  has  been  kindly  contributed  by  Mr.  and  Mrs,  C.  N.  Williamson. 

303 


304  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

the  same  ship  that  carries  his  car,  or  he  can  cross  next  day  by 
the  ordinary  Folkestone-Boulogne  route,  to  find  the  car  landed 
on  the  quay  at  Boulogne.  The  customs  formalities  on  entering 
France  are  simple,  though  there  may  be  some  hours'  delay  if 
the  functionary  charged  with  such  matters  should  happen  to 
be  away  at  luncheon.  Usually  half  an  hour  should  be  enough 
to  clear  the  car.  It  is  weighed  ;  a  description  of  it  is  written 
out,  a  money  deposit  is  paid  (the  amount  depending  on  the 
weight  of  the  car),  and  papers  are  delivered  to  the  owner 
certifying  that  he  has  paid  a  certain  sum  which  will  be  given 
back  to  him  at  any  of  the  customs  stations  on  the  French 
frontier  should  he  leave  the  country  within  a  year. 

So  much  for  the  first  step.  To  travel  safely  in  France  the 
foreign  motorist  should  next  provide  himself  with  the  two 
documents  without  which  it  is  illegal  to  drive  a  motor-car  on 
the  French  roads — a  permission  for  the  vehicle  to  "  circulate," 
and  a  permit  for  the  driver.  A  foreigner  may,  if  he  likes,  ignore 
the  laws  of  France,  and  drive  his  car  without  having  any  papers 
whatever.  He  may  never  be  challenged,  or  he  may  be  called 
upon  to  halt  as  he  is  rolling  away  from  the  quay  where  he 
lands  ;  and  in  case  of  an  accident  the  absence  of  papers  would 
be  looked  upon  by  the  police  as  a  grave  contravention  of  the 
law.  It  is  better,  therefore,  to  go  to  the  trouble  of  getting  the 
necessary  permits,  especially  if  it  is  intended  to  pass  from 
France  into  other  countries  ;  for  a  French  permit  is  recognised 
in  Italy,  in  Germany,  and  practically  everywhere.  The  Auto- 
mobile Club  of  Great  Britain  is  engaged  in  negotiations  with 
the  custom-houses  of  France,  Belgium,  Switzerland,  and  Italy, 
to  facilitate  the  entry  of  members'  cars  into  those  countries, 
but  the  only  country  with  which  arrangements  are  actually 
completed  is  France ;  and  members  of  the  club,  by  depositing 
money  in  London,  can  receive  papers  which  ensure  the  rapid 
settlement  of  the  custom-house  regulations.  An  international 
understanding  among  all  countries  would  make  motor  touring 
on  the  Continent  easier  than  it  is  at  present.  Application  for 
the  permits  must  be  made  on  stamped  paper  in  a  prescribed 
form  to  the  Prefect  of  the  Department  in  which  the  driver 
begins  his  journey.  The  application  can  be  sent  in  advance 
from  England,  thus  lessening  the  delay  on  arrival.  The  various 
regulations,  wonderfully  precise  and   elaborate   on    paper,  are 


THE   MOTOR-CAR   ABROAD  305 

liberally  interpreted  by  the  courteous  officials  of  the  Service 
of  Mines,  who  put  the  driver  through  a  simple  examination, 
mounting  on  to  the  car  with  him,  directing  him  to  turn  right 
and  left,  noting  how  he  behaves  in  traffic  and  how  quickly  he 
can  stop  his  car.  In  twenty  minutes  the  business  is  over,  and 
the  papers  are  delivered.  The  owner  must  not  forget,  if  he 
is  leaving  France  for  a  little  while  and  means  to  return,  to 
furnish  himself  with  2i  pas  savant  desa'iptif,  issued  by  the  office  of 
the  custom-house  at  which  he  goes  out.  Without  this,  he  may 
be  called  upon  to  pay  the  duty  the  second  time. 

In  France  and  most  other  European  countries  the  custom- 
house officers  are  always  civil  to  foreigners ;  but  there  are 
certain  regulations  well  calculated  to  rouse  ill  temper  in  the 
breast  of  the  touring  motorist.  For  example,  the  office-hours 
in  France  are  from  8-12  a.m.  and  2-6  p.m.  in  winter  ;  from  7-12 
a.m.  and  2-7  p.m.  in  summer.  Should  you  arrive  at  a  frontier 
during  the  hours  sacred  to  luncheon  and  repose,  the  guard  on 
duty  will  tell  you  that  the  office  is  closed,  and  that  no  papers 
can  be  issued.  If  in  these  circumstances  the  foreigner  swears 
loudly  and  condemns  with  vigour  the  institutions  of  France, 
he  is  doing  an  unwise  thing,  for  he  hardens  the  heart  of  the 
officials,  and  they  will  do  all  they  can  to  impede  him.  With 
French  and  all  other  officials,  suavity  carried  to  the  limit  of 
unctuousness  will  usually  pay  best.  More  serious  than  the  long 
suspension  of  business  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  however,  is 
the  fact  that  the  custom-houses  stop  work  altogether  at  an  early 
hour  of  the  evening.  Incredible  as  it  may  seem,  you  cannot 
get  into  Italy  at  all  if  you  arrive  on  a  motor-car  after  eight  in 
the  evening  without  papers.  The  guards  on  duty  will  suggest 
to  you  gravely  that  you  should  return  to  the  nearest  inn  of  the 
country  you  have  just  left.  This  once  happened  to  the  writers 
at  the  Italian  custom-house  at  Grimaldi,  just  beyond  Mentone. 
It  was  nine  o'clock  at  night.  The  men  were  inexorable.  The 
office  was  shut;  the  chef  de  douane  had  gone  away;  there  was 
no  one  who  had  power  to  receive  money  or  issue  papers.  In- 
hospitable Italy  shut  her  door  in  the  face  of  the  stranger. 
There  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  leave  the  car  by  the  roadside 
and  walk  a  mile  to  the  village  of  Grimaldi,  where  by  asking 
questions  we  found  the  restaurant  where  the  chef  de  douane 
usually  dined.     Fortunately  he  was  of  a  kindly  disposition  and 

X 


306  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

consented  to  return  to  the  frontier,  open  his  office,  and  issue 
the  necessary  papers.  This  he  did  of  grace  and  not  by  duty  ; 
a  more  stubborn  official  might  have  refused  ;  in  which  case 
there  would  have  been  no  other  course  than  to  return  to 
Mentone. 

The  scrupulous  attention  of  the  French  officials  to  matters 
of  detail  may  sometimes  act  against  the  stranger.  Recently 
we  were  again  leaving  France  by  this  same  route — the  sea  road 
from  Mentone  to  Ventimiglia.  At  the  last  French  post,  at  the 
Pont  St.  Louis,  we  were  commanded  to  halt,  and  asked  for 
papers.  We  had  none ;  we  had  started  from  Monte  Carlo  and 
were  bound  for  Venice,  for  Dalmatia,  for  Switzerland  and 
Germany,  for  England.  We  had  no  intention  of  taking  the 
car  back  to  France,  and  therefore  did  not  ask  for  a  passavant. 
The  douanier  was  disconcerted,  retired  to  consult  his  superior, 
and  returned  with  the  demand  for  lo  centimes,  fee  for  the 
privilege  of  quitting  France.  We  made  the  blunder  of  not 
asking  for  a  receipt  for  that  penny,  and  for  this,  later,  we 
suffered.  At  the  Italian  custom-house  a  little  beyond,  we  paid 
112  lire  deposit,  received  our  papers  in  due  form,  and  went  on 
to  Ventimiglia.  Here,  instead  of  pursuing  the  direct  sea  road 
to  San  Remo  and  Genoa,  we  turned  up  the  beautiful  valley  of 
the  Roya,  and  as  we  had  towed  for  several  miles  up  steep  hills 
the  disabled  car  of  a  friend,  darkness  overtook  us  in  the  depths 
of  the  gorge.  Suddenly  the  lights  of  a  town  shone  out  of  the 
night,  custom-house  officers  appeared  in  the  road,  and  we  were 
ordered  to  halt.  It  was  the  town  of  Breil,  and  here,  for  the 
distance  of  nine  kilometres,  the  road  ran  again  on  French  soil. 

Now  began  the  difficulties.  Our  Italian  papers  were  useless 
for  France,  and  we  had  r\o  passavant.  We  explained  the  affair 
of  the  penny  paid  at  the  Pont  St.  Louis.  "  Then  you  have  a 
receipt  for  the  lO  centimes?"  asked  the  chief,  seeing  at  once 
a  way  out  of  the  coil.  "  Unfortunately  no,"  we  answered.  "  It 
had  not  seemed  necessary  to  trouble  the  official  for  a  receipt 
for  so  small  a  sum."  The  chef  de  doiiane  looked  grave.  "As 
a  man,"  he  declared,  with  a  courteous  bow,  "  I  believe  you 
implicitly;  as  a  functionary" — he  puffed  out  his  chest — "I  am 
compelled  to  doubt  your  statement."  We  proceeded  to  argue 
the  point  with  this  dual  personality.  Could  we  not  pay  the 
deposit  and  receive  it  back  again  nine  kilometres  further  on  ? 


THE   MOTOR-CAR   ABROAD  307 

Impossible :  it  was  after  office  hours,  he  could  not  issue  papers 
after  the  bureau  was  shut  for  the  day.  Then  what  did  he 
propose :  that  we  should  stay  all  night  upon  the  road  ?  The 
functionary  was  moved.  "  You  place  me,"  he  declared,  "  in  a 
deplorable  position.  You  force  me  to  seem  discourteous  to 
foreigners  and  hostile  to  automobilism.  I  am  neither."  Sud- 
denly he  had  an  idea.  It  was  informal :  it  was  not  part  of  his 
duty ;  yet  it  could  be  done.  He  could  send  someone  with  us 
on  the  car  to  Fontan  (where  the  road  passed  again  into  Italy), 
someone  who  could  vouch  that  we  were  only  passing  through. 
A  youth  slouched  out  of  the  darkness  and  mounted  into  the 
car.  We  went  forward  again,  showering  thanks  upon  the  re- 
sourceful chef  de  douatie  of  Breil.  Of  course,  this  meant  a  long 
delay  and  a  handsome  poiirboire  to  the  youth  ;  and  all  because 
we  had  not  taken  a  receipt  for  the  penny. 

If  the  roads  of  France  are  the  best  in  Europe,  those  of  Italy 
are  the  worst — except,  indeed,  in  Spain,  which  has  practically  no 
roads  at  all  where  motor-cars  can  pass.  Here  and  there  in 
Italy — notably  in  the  province  of  Venice — there  are  stretches 
of  smooth,  good  road  ;  but  in  Piedmont,  and  even  near  great 
centres  like  Milan,  the  only  idea  of  road  mending  is  to  tip 
masses  of  flint  upon  the  highways,  and  leave  the  traffic  to  grind 
them  in.  The  beautiful  road  from  Pavia  to  Milan  has  a  detest- 
able surface  ;  and  the  straight  way  north  out  of  Milan  to 
Bellagio  is  more  like  a  torrent  bed  than  a  high  road  in  a 
civilised  country.  In  Italy,  too,  the  rule  of  the  road  changes 
with  perplexing  suddenness.  Out  in  the  country  you  keep  to 
the  right,  but  at  some  undiscoverable  point  in  the  outskirts 
of  Milan  traffic  goes  to  the  left,  and  you  find  yourself  driving  in 
crowded  streets  on  the  wrong  side  of  the  road. 

In  Italy  motor-cars  are  still  rare.  Peasants  will  leave  their 
ploughs  and  run  across  the  fields  to  get  a  near  look  ;  even  in 
Milan  an  eager  crowd  gathered  round  the  door  of  the  hotel 
to  watch  our  preparation  for  a  start.  This  rareness  of  auto- 
mobiles means,  of  course,  that  horses  and  other  animals  are 
little  used  to  them  ;  and  in  Italy  one  must  drive  with  the 
utmost  caution.  Not  only  is  every  horse  a  possible  danger,  but 
mules,  donkeys,  yoked  oxen,  even  yoked  cows,  show  in  the  most 
energetic  way  their  dislike  of  the  new  locomotion.  Skill  in 
steering  and  quickness  of  judgment  are  demanded  at  every 


308  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

moment.  Many  of  the  country  carts  are  long,  and  as  the  first 
impulse  of  the  horses  or  oxen  that  draw  them  is  to  get  into 
the  ditch  at  sight  of  a  motor-car,  the  result  is  that  the  cart 
is  turned  across  the  road,  and  collisions  are  avoided  with  the 
utmost  difficulty. 

In  Austria  and  in  many  parts  of  Germany  the  horses  and 
other  animals  are  as  easily  frightened  as  they  are  in  Italy.  In 
nine  cases  out  of  ten  the  carters  are  fast  asleep  in  their  carts,  to 
wake  only  at  the  blowing  of  the  horn  when  the  motor-car  is 
close  to  them.  Then  follows  a  wild  clutching  of  the  reins, 
perhaps  a  quick  stroke  of  the  whip,  and  the  animals,  instead 
of  being  soothed,  are  startled  still  more.  On  roads  like  that 
from  Cortina  to  Toblach,  with  brusque  turnings  and  precipitous 
drops,  a  car  must  be  driven  with  the  extreme  of  caution,  and 
the  horn  should  be  constantly  sounded.  Recently  a  service 
of  motor  omnibuses  was  started  on  this  road.  Accidents  fol- 
lowed, and  the  local  opposition  was  so  strong  that  a  petition 
to  the  authorities  was  followed  by  a  suppression  of  the  service. 

Usually  the  Austrian  and  German  roads  are  good.  The 
Austrian  customs  officials  are  precise  and  slow  in  their  dealings  ; 
and  the  tax  on  cars  going  into  the  country  is  double  that 
demanded  in  France  and  Italy.  "  Put  money  in  thy  purse"  is  a 
necessary  injunction  when  going  into  Austria.  In  Germany,  on 
the  other  hand  (a  country  where  officialism  is  rampant),  the 
customs  officers  are  strangely  lax  about  automobiles.  There  is 
a  tax  of  8  marks  per  lOO  kilogs,,  but  often  there  is  no  one  to 
demand  it,  and  you  sail  in  duty  free.  Sometimes,  indeed,  you 
cannot  see  a  custom-house  on  a  German  frontier ;  and  you 
enter  and  leave  the  country  unquestioned,  untaxed.  If,  how- 
ever, you  intend  to  stay  any  length  of  time  within  the  empire 
it  is  best  to  apply  to  the  Chief  of  Police  in  the  first  important 
town  you  come  to  for  the  German  equivalent  to  \h&  perinis  de 
conduire,  which  is  readily  granted  on  production  of  the  cor- 
responding French  document. 

The  expenses  of  a  motor-car  tour  on  the  Continent  are 
considerable,  depending,  of  course,  in  large  measure,  on  the  size 
of  the  car  and  the  distance  covered.  Nowhere  in  France,  within 
our  experience,  is  any  charge  made  in  hotels  for  garage.  Petrol 
is  cheaper,  too,  in  France  than  in  other  countries.  In  France  it 
is  55   centimes  a  litre;  in   Italy,  90  centimes;  in   Austria,  70 


THE   MOTOR-CAR   ABROAD  309 

pfennig.  In  Italy  some  hotels  charge  2  lire  a  night  for  garage  ; 
the  same  sum  is  charged  at  Mestre,  where  cars  are  put  up  while 
their  owners  are  in  Venice  ;  while  in  Innsbruck  the  exorbitant 
demand  was  made  of  4  marks  a  night.  Expenses  are  reduced 
by  membership  of  the  Touring  Club  de  France,  the  Touring 
Club  Ciclistico  Italiano,  and  the  touring  clubs  of  other  countries. 
True,  it  is  often  only  the  second-rate  hotels  that  are  affiliated 
to  these  societies,  but  by  using  them  a  saving  of  from  ten  to 
twenty  per  cent,  on  hotel  bills  may  easily  be  made. 

The  pleasures  of  motor-car  touring  on  the  Continent  can 
scarcely  be  exaggerated.  No  one  who  has  once  tasted  them 
can  willingly  travel  again  in  any  other  way.  There  is  the 
delight  of  speed,  the  delight  of  the  unexpected,  the  satisfaction 
of  the  deep  craving  for  life  on  the  open  road.  To  be  dragged 
across  the  Alps  by  a  locomotive,  shut  up  in  a  stuffy,  dirty  box, 
can  give  little  real  pleasure ;  but  to  climb  in  a  motor-car  in 
a  few  hours  up  from  the  roses  of  Monte  Carlo  to  the  pines 
of  San  Dalmazzo,  to  the  cold  snowfields  of  the  Col  di  Tenda, 
and  then  to  rush  down  from  winter  to  spring  again  in  the 
pastures  of  Piedmont — this  is  an  experience  that  lives  for  ever  in 
the  memory.  What,  again,  can  the  mind  of  man  devise  more 
joyous  and  exhilarating  than  a  run  northwards  from  Venice 
into  the  jaws  of  the  Alps,  up  to  the  sweet-smelling  pines,  down 
again  to  the  green  Pustherthal,  thence  up  and  up  the  steep 
gradients  of  the  neglected  Brenner,  to  swoop  down  at  last  upon 
noble  Innsbruck  ?  It  is  history  and  geography  at  a  glance. 
In  a  few  crowded  hours  scented  Italy  gives  up  its  secret;  the 
North  whispers  to  you  through  its  murmuring  pines  ;  the  pageant 
of  Rome,  of  the  Middle  Ages,  pass  before  your  wondering  eyes. 
Or  if  the  Alps  be  not  great  enough,  there  are  other  worlds  to 
conquer  and  countries  to  explore,  where,  perhaps,  your  motor- 
car is  the  first  that  has  been  seen.  The  fringe  of  Europe  offers 
many  excitements ;  and  in  a  drive  along  the  Dalmatian  coast 
to  rose-pink  Ragusa,  and  up  the  marvellous  road  that  leads 
from  Cattaro  into  the  skies  where  dwell  the  mountain  warriors 
of  Montenegro,  the  adventurous  motorist  will  find  thrills  and 
delights  enough. 


CHAPTER  XVI 
THE   OPEN    ROAD 

The  home  of  the  motor-car — A  quickened  life — The  freedom  of  the  roads — Journeys 
by  stages — A  voyage  through  history — In  Roman  footsteps — The  divisions  of 
England — Subtle  changes — Resident  and  stranger — The  invasion  of  an  island — 
The  taming  of  monsters — An  early  morning  journey — The  scenery  of  the  dawn — 
Wine  of  the  gods — A  pause  by  the  roadside — An  apparition — A  monster  at  large 
— The  man  with  the  oily  face — The  breaking-in  of  the  new  force — A  test  of  the 
heart — Incidents  in  a  motor  race — A  momentary  commotion — The  workers — The 
bondage  of  the  road — A  generation  of  ghosts — The  Road  to  Ireland — A  road 
with  a  purpose — Telford  and  his  monument — The  despoiler  of  roads — The  com- 
pany of  the  telegraph  wires — Where  all  roads  must  end. 

FIRE   IN   THE   HEART  OF    ME,    MOVING   AND   CHATTERING, 

YOUTH   IN   EACH    PART  OF   ME,    SLENDER  AND   STRONG, 
DEATH   AT  THE   FOOT  OF   ME,    RENDING   AND  SHATTERING, 

LIGHT  AND  TREMENDOUS   I    BEAR   YOU   ALONG  ; 
UP  TO  THE   BROW   WHERE  THE   LEVELS   GO   WEARILY, 

DOWN   TO  THE  VALE  WHERE  THE   GRAVELS  GIVE  SPEED, 
HOLDING   IT,    MOULDING   IT,   SCOLDING   IT  CHEERILY, 

SLAVE  TO  YOUR   PURPOSE  AND  SIGN  OF  YOUR   NEED. 

SLENDER  THE  SPOKE  OF   ME,    DRIVING   UNCEASINGLY, 

DREADFUL  THE  YOKE   OF   ME,    MIGHTY  THE  STRAIN. 
YET  SEND   ME   NOT  WHERE  THE  WORK   LESSENS  EASINGLY, 

GIVE   ME  THE  LIFT   OF   THE   ROADWAY  AGAIN. 
FEAR,   THEN,    NO   HILL  THOUGH   IT   RISE  TO  FUTURITY, 

HEED   NOT   infinity;   BE   NOT   PERPLEXED; 
SOON   AS   ONE  ^ON   HAS   GONE   TO  OBSCURITY, 

HEY,    BUT   I'll   RALLY  YOU    INTO  THE   NEXT  ! 

G.  Stewart  Bowles,  The  Song  of  the  Wheel. 

THE  true  home  of  the  motor-car  is  not  in  garage  or  work- 
shop, showroom  or  factory,  but  on  the  open  road.  There 
it  comes  to  its  own,  there  it  justifies  itself,  there  it  fulfils  its  true 
and  appointed  destiny.  Like  a  captive  lion  or  a  savage  shown 
at  a  fair,  it  makes  a  poor  enough  appearance  out  of  its  true 
environment ;  and  when  we  see  it  quivering  at  a  standstill  or 

310 


THE   OPEN   ROAD  311 

fretfully  hanging  in  the  crowded  lanes  of  street  traffic  we  some- 
times think  very  poorly  of  it.  But  away  from  these  entangle- 
ments it  comes  into  the  noble  kingdom  of  which  it  has  so  lately 
captured  the  throne.  The  miles,  once  the  tyrants  of  the  road, 
the  oppressors  of  the  travellers,  are  now  humbly  subject  to  its 
triumphant  empire,  falling  away  before  it,  ranking  themselves 
behind  it.  The  wand  of  its  power  has  touched  the  winds  to  a 
greater  energy,  so  that  the  very  air  it  consumes  is  crushed  upon 
it  with  a  prodigal  bounty,  sweetened  with  all  the  mingled  per- 
fumes of  the  fields  and  the  seasons.  It  flattens  out  the  world, 
enlarges  the  horizon,  loosens  a  little  the  bonds  of  time,  sets 
back  a  little  the  barriers  of  space.  And  man,  who  created  and 
endowed  it,  who  sits  and  rides  upon  it  as  upon  a  whirlwind, 
moving  a  lever  here,  turning  a  wheel  there,  receives  in  his 
person  the  revenues  of  the  vast  kingdom  it  has  conquered.  He 
lives  more  quickly  for  its  vitality,  drawing  virtue  and  energy 
from  its  ardent  heart ;  and  if  it  be  true  that  the  capacity  of  life 
in  each  of  us  be  limited  not  by  time  but  by  quantity,  and  that 
the  mysterious  engines  of  our  flesh  and  spirit  are  set  to  endure, 
to  enjoy,  to  see,  to  understand,  to  know,  to  live  only  up  to  a 
finite  limit,  then  man's  days,  being  faster  and  more  crowded, 
will  be  fewer ;  and  we  shall  find  that  what  we  received  as  a  gift 
we  shall  be  called  upon  to  pay  for  out  of  our  scanty  store  of 
years. 

II 

But  even  if  it  should  threaten  to  rob  us  of  a  few  of  the 
melancholy  days  of  old  age,  this  new  slave  of  ours  has  won  back 
for  us  the  roads.  "  The  nerves  and  sinews  of  the  land,"  Mr. 
Strachey  has  finely  called  them  ;  and  they  are  like  nerves  and 
sinews  long  disused,  that  are  beginning  to  twitch  and  swell 
again  with  the  message  of  life.  Already  on  the  great  main 
roads  the  thrill  of  vitality  has  been  felt.  Old  inns,  that  had  long 
slumbered  in  a  kind  of  ruinous  trance,  are  beginning  to  wake  up 
again,  to  bestir  themselves,  to  be  prosperous.  Old  men  and 
women,  keepers  of  shops  left  high  and  dry  by  the  ebb  of 
custom,  who  had  thought  to  end  their  days  in  poverty  or  the 
workhouse,  are  here  and  there,  to  their  profound  astonishment, 
finding  themselves  afloat  on  the  rising  tide  of  prosperity.  It  is 
due  not  only  to  the  direct  influence  of  the  motor-car,  of  course, 


312  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

but  to  the  new  impulse  of  movement,  of  travel,  and  of  intercourse 
of  which  the  motor-car  is  at  once  the  agent  and  the  herald. 

And  out  on  this  world  of  roads  the  traveller  on  a  motor-car 
enters  into  possession  of  his  country  in  a  new  way.  In  railway 
travel  only  two  points  are  of  real  importance — the  points  of 
departure  and  of  arrival ;  all  the  rest  is  but  an  accessory  of  the 
railway,  a  panorama  of  embankments  and  cuttings  and  curves  at 
which  we  give  a  mere  glance  now  and  then.  Things  seen  are 
seen  only  in  their  relation  to  the  railway,  of  which,  with  its 
manifold  and  tremendous  organisation,  we  can  never  be  quite 
unconscious.  It  absorbs  our  individuality  so  that  we  are  whirled 
along  in  an  embarrassing  cloud  of  companionship ;  all  our 
fellow-travellers,  the  guards  and  enginemen,  the  clerks  in  far- 
away traffic  offices,  the  signalmen  reading  by  their  cabin  fires, 
the  invisible  and  scattered  army  of  cleaners,  turners,  shunters, 
lampmen,  platelayers,  and  carriage  inspectors,  are  all  conspiring 
and  collaborating  in  our  punctual  journey  ;  and  in  such  a  degree 
that  if  thought  or  will-power  could  be  confined  and  controlled 
in  bulk,  the  train  would  need  no  other  engine  than  the  labours 
and  wishes  that  are  concentrated  upon  it. 

But  the  road  sets  us  free  from  this  marvellous  complexity 
of  thought  and  mechanism,  allows  us  to  follow  our  own  choice 
as  to  how  fast  and  how  far  we  shall  go,  permits  us  to  tarry 
where  and  when  we  will.  Moreover,  it  restores  to  our  journeys 
their  true  value  and  importance,  making  them  not  a  matter 
merely  of  departure  and  arrival,  but  of  deliberate  and  conscious 
progress,  in  which  every  mile,  every  yard,  is  of  equal  importance 
with  the  beginning  and  the  end.  To  walk  by  road  is  to  taste 
this  deliberation  of  travel  in  its  full  flavour,  and  to  make  of  each 
footstep  a  stage  in  the  journey ;  by  motor-car  we  lose  the 
extremely  minute  detail  of  the  road,  but  cover  it  in  spans  so 
much  greater  that  the  sense  of  passage  is  vastly  increased. 
And  this,  I  think,  is  the  supreme  charm  of  this  kind  of  travel  ; 
that  it  takes  us  from  one  world  to  another,  not  as  the  railway 
takes  us,  sealed  up  in  an  envelope  containing  ourselves  and  our 
environment,  but  open  to  and  conscious  of  the  things  that 
connect  those  worlds  with  each  other,  so  that  we  see  the  change 
coming  and  know  how  it  has  come.  We  do  not  shut  our  eyes 
in  the  plains  to  open  them  again  on  the  mountains.  We  feel 
the   road  rising   under  us ;  we  pass  from  the   shelter   of  the 


THE   OPEN   ROAD  313 

valleys  to  the  winds  of  the  upland  ;  we  leave  the  placid  land 
of  willow  and  poplar,  and  rise  to  where  the  pines  and  firs  are 
waiting  on  the  sky-line ;  we  wind  up  and  away  from  meadow 
and  cornfield  to  where  moss  and  heather  crowd  among  the 
rocks ;  we  strike  into  the  colder  mountain  air,  the  bare  and 
austere  mountain  world,  away  from  trees  and  heavy  flowers 
and  chattering  birds,  to  where  only  the  bees  and  the  larks  make 
music,  and  where  the  little  flowers,  hardy  and  wild  and  fragrant, 
lodge  among  rocks  that  the  sun  has  warmed. 


Ill 

A  day's  journey  on  a  motor-car  is  not  merely  a  piece  of  travel 
across  the  spaces  of  geography ;  it  is  often  a  voyage  through 
the  life  and  history  of  the  land.  Perhaps  you  pass  across  the 
Weald  of  Surrey  and  Sussex,  where  once  the  forests  were  thick, 
where  later  the  smoke  rose  from  a  thousand  fires  and  the  land 
was  blackened  with  the  industry  of  smelting ;  but  where,  in  our 
own  busy  and  clamorous  age,  the  ashes  of  that  forgotten  toil 
are  folded  in  the  deep  peace  of  fields  and  gardens.  Or  you 
may  fare  along  the  Roman  roads — those  ways  made  sacred  by 
the  passage  of  immemorial  hosts,  of  conquering  armies,  of  all 
the  pedestrian  life  that  in  years  gone  by  came  to  its  twinkle 
of  existence  in  our  country  and  vanished  like  smoke.  Or  you 
may  set  forth  of  a  morning  from  some  great  modern  city 
humming  with  commerce  and  echoing  to  the  strife  of  politics 
and  exchange ;  and  you  may  draw  up  as  the  sun  sets  in  a  little 
town  perched  above  the  sea,  where  the  quays,  deserted  by 
commerce,  resound  to  cries  of  the  little  barefoot  children  of 
sailors.  Yet  they  are  not  ordinary  children  nor  ordinary  sailors 
that  you  will  meet  on  this  narrow  street  by  the  harbour,  but 
fair-haired,  blue-eyed  babes  showing  beneath  grime  the  strong 
features  and  bright  eyes  of  the  Dane ;  and  tall,  deep-chested, 
big-boned  men,  with  the  same  childish  eyes  and  tangled  yellow 
hair — sons  of  Norsemen  and  Vikings,  cast  up  in  the  dusk  of 
their  race  on  these  neighbourly  shores. 

And  wherever  you  pass  on  your  journey  the  road  tells  you 
the  story  of  the  people  who  live  beside  it.  To  drive  from 
London  to  Chester  is  to  be  instructed  in  the  character  of  the 
great  divisions  of  England.     The  rich  sleepy  life  of  the  south 


314  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

is  traversed  by  the  road  that  runs  wide  between  the  sunned  and 
weathered  houses  of  a  dozen  High  Streets,  sheltered  by  great 
and  ancient  trees,  and  skirting  for  miles  the  boundaries  of  many 
a  vast  feudal  estate.  You  pass  through  the  shires  and  the 
Midlands,  where  the  world  seems  to  consist  only  of  fields 
and  sky  and  trees,  and  where,  lost  amid  this  pastoral  wilderness, 
you  wonder  what  has  become  of  overcrowded,  town-devoured 
England.  Yet  a  little  while,  and  you  are  plunged  in  the  grime 
of  the  Black  Country,  where  the  trees  are  stunted  and  the 
vegetation  poisoned,  and  where  the  smoke  of  a  hundred 
industries  darkens  the  sky.  Again  a  little  while,  and  you  are 
back  in  a  smiling  land  and  speeding  on  through  a  country  that 
is  subtly  different  from  that  of  the  earlier  miles,  where  some- 
thing in  the  build  of  the  houses,  in  the  disposal  of  the  villages, 
and  in  the  very  faces  of  the  inhabitants  tells  you  that  you 
are  in  the  north.  And  in  all  your  passage  through  this  chang- 
ing scene,  in  the  glimpses  you  get  through  open  doors  of  a 
family  at  dinner,  a  child  at  play,  or  a  horse  in  his  stable ;  in  the 
attitude  of  women  who  stand  at  the  doors  shading  their  eyes  to 
watch  you  go  past,  or  in  the  sight  of  a  tired  labourer  trudging 
homewards  at  sundown,  you  are  reminded  of  the  eternal  differ- 
ence in  point  of  view  between  the  traveller  and  the  resident, 
between  those  who  have  their  continuing  city  in  the  small 
world  that  represents  but  a  moment  in  your  impassioned 
journey,  and  those  who,  in  their  relation  to  that  world,  are  only 
wayfarers  and  strangers. 

IV 

There  is  still  here  and  there  an  opportunity  of  seeing  the 
invasion  of  this  new  force  upon  virgin  soil.  In  the  early  sum- 
mer of  1904  I  went  to  the  Isle  of  Man  to  see  the  English 
Eliminating  Trials  for  the  Gordon  Bennett  Trophy.  Three 
racing  cars  were  to  be  chosen  to  represent  their  country  in  this 
international  contest,  and  the  eleven  aspirants  for  that  honour 
were  matched  against  each  other  in  a  road  race  hardly  less  long 
and  severe  than  the  great  contest  itself.  But  interesting  as  the 
race  was  by  virtue  of  its  chances,  its  immense  speed,  and  its 
almost  incredible  safety,  it  was  not  so  interesting  as  this  sudden 
descent  of  all  the  mechanical  furies  contained  in  a  dozen  racing 
cars  upon  a  virgin  island,  girdled  for  ever  by  the  unchanging 


THE   OPEN   ROAD  315 

sea,  folded  as  yet  in  its  peaceful  slumber  of  winter  and  spring, 
and  not  yet  aroused  to  the  unlovely  commotion  of  tourist  traffic. 
A  dreadful  interest,  a  profound  mystery,  overhung  these 
machines  in  the  contemplation  of  the  populace.  Lurking  within 
their  dens  all  day,  for  they  were  properly  forbidden  to  scour 
the  roads  during  waking  hours,  they  aroused  themselves  at  early 
dawn  and  awoke  for  a  few  hours  of  their  terrible  life.  With  the 
first  of  daylight  they  would  come  forth,  trembling  with  re- 
strained passions  and  emitting  thick  streams  of  explosions  upon 
the  quiet  morning  air.  Their  masked  and  swathed  directors, 
sitting  bolt  upright  on  their  frail  seats,  controlled  with  a  turn  of 
the  wrist  the  forces  that  presently  hurled  them  inland  up  the 
mountain  road,  leaving  the  few  early  risers  in  the  market-place 
stupefied  by  the  sudden  silence. 

And  they  were  far  from  docile,  these  monsters  ;  far  different 
from  the  obedient  and  responsive  creatures  that  carry  us  on  our 
country  journeys.  Each  represented  the  last  ounce  of  brute 
power  that  the  builder  dared  to  contain  within  a  light  and  frail 
carriage.  To  drive  one  of  them  was  no  easy  task,  but  a  pro- 
longed battle  with  the  terrific  demon  that,  only  half  tamed, 
raged  within  the  cylinders.  Some  of  them  would  not  travel  at 
all ;  there  was  one  ill-starred  brood  of  three  that  had  their  lair 
in  a  shed  upon  the  harbour  wall,  to  whom  all  day  and  all  night 
an  army  of  foreign  mechanics  diligently  ministered.  At 
intervals  their  toil  would  reach  a  point  at  which  the  result 
might  be  tested  ;  the  starting  handle  would  be  manned,  and  the 
monster  waked  into  life  at  the  cost  of  a  dislocated  wrist.  Then 
a  dread  commotion  indeed  would  echo  among  the  rocks.  A 
rattling  crescendo  of  explosions,  a  blinding  sheet  of  flame,  with, 
at  short  intervals,  a  detonation  like  the  report  of  a  heavy 
cannon,  would  bring  the  townspeople  of  Douglas  running  to 
their  doors.  They  would  scan  the  horizon,  as  though  to  look 
for  a  bombarding  fleet  or  a  volcanic  eruption  of  their  silent 
mountains.  But  no ;  a  little  group  of  workmen  surrounding  a 
low,  slight,  motionless  machine  mounted  on  low  wheels  were  all 
the  centre  of  this  tremendous  and  elemental  uproar.  Now  and 
then,  indeed,  labour  would  be  so  far  rewarded  that  the  chariot 
of  fire  might  be  run  along  the  harbour  wall,  the  fascinated 
crowd  scattering  before  its  swift  and  deafening  progress  ;  but  in 
a  few  hundred  yards  it  would  be  pulled  up,  or  else  its  giant 


316  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

pulses  would  mysteriously  die  down.  And  all  day  long  and 
everywhere  the  presence  of  these  few  cars  brooded  over  the 
island  like  a  doom.  In  the  towns  people  crossed  the  streets 
quickly,  with  an  eye  over  the  shoulder  for  the  delightful, 
thrilling  terror  that  might  at  any  moment  (so  they  thought) 
rush  out  upon  them  ;  and  up  in  the  inland  fields  men  strained 
their  ears  to  hear,  amid  the  whisper  of  the  waving  grasses,  the 
increasing  pulsation  that  might  herald  the  lightning  passage  of 
that  which  bewildered  the  eyes  and  made  the  heart  quake. 


On  one  of  the  racing  cars,  by  favour  of  its  master  and  tamer, 
I  took  a  cramped  and  precarious  seat  on  a  morning  before  the 
sun  rose.  The  houses  of  Douglas  lay  blind  and  silent  in  the 
dawn  ;  the  gas  lamps  burned  almost  invisibly ;  and  as  we  rushed 
along  the  promenade  our  echoing  progress  was  through  a  city 
of  diurnal  sleep.  There  is  about  the  dawn  a  solemnity  and 
strangeness  that  no  familiarity  can  change  ;  but  though  I  have 
seen  its  magic  panorama  from  city  streets,  from  the  sea,  from 
sub-tropical  tablelands,  in  all  sorts  of  places  and  conditions,  it 
has  never  seemed  to  me  so  new  and  so  mysterious  as  on  that 
morning  in  the  Isle  of  Man.  All  round  us  the  world  seemed  to 
lie  asleep,  the  sea  dull  and  grey  and  still  under  a  soft  muffled 
sky ;  only  we  seemed  alive  as,  seated  on  our  infernally  potent 
machine,  we  clove  the  stillness  and  tore  through  the  silence. 
In  twenty  minutes  we  covered  nearly  as  many  miles  of  the 
island  road  ;  now  the  sea  was  behind  us,  now  it  rose  before  us 
as,  having  spanned  the  breadth  of  the  island,  we  hung  over  the 
little  town  of  Peel ;  a  little  later  we  were  at  Ramsey,  and  could 
see  England  and  Scotland  and  Ireland  rising  out  of  the  morning 
mists.  And  there  seemed  to  be  but  three  conditions  of  our 
existence  :  the  land,  like  the  island  of  a  dream,  empty,  deserted, 
silent;  the  slow  and  solemn  scenery  of  the  morning,  unfold- 
ing itself  on  the  world  in  a  glory  of  fire  and  colour ;  and  the 
weird  creature  of  iron  and  steel  that  swayed  and  chattered  and 
flew  beneath  us.  The  ineffable  thrill  and  exhilaration  of  such 
a  flight  none  but  they  who  have  experienced  it  in  their  own 
bodies  can  ever  conceive.  It  is  beyond  everything  else  in  our 
physical  existence.     It  is  the   exaltation  of  the   dreamer,  the 


THE   OPEN   ROAD  317 

drunkard,  a  thousand  times  purified  and  magnified.  It  is  not 
mere  speed,  for  that  may  be  equalled  on  an  express  train  with- 
out any  like  effect.  It  is,  I  think,  a  combination  of  intense 
speed  with  the  sensation  of  the  smallness,  the  lightness,  the 
responsiveness  of  the  thing  that  carries  you,  with  the  rushing  of 
the  atmosphere  upon  your  body  and  of  the  earth  upon  your 
vision.  The  road,  twisting  and  wriggling  before  you,  streams 
endlessly  under  the  wheels  ;  the  trees  fall  into  advancing  ranks ; 
the  very  mountains,  that  in  half  a  day's  walk  do  not  seem  to 
change  their  places,  move  and  wheel  and  curtsey  round  you  in 
a  stately  dance.  The  tremendous  detonations  of  the  engine  are 
silenced  by  the  uproar  of  the  air  to  a  rhythmical  beat,  as  the 
fires  at  its  heart  are  cooled  by  the  same  pure  stream  ;  the  road 
itself  has  a  note,  and  every  stone,  telegraph  post,  and  house  that 
you  pass  close  by  makes  a  sharp  sound,  like  the  whizz  of  the 
Mariner's  cross-bow.  And  to  your  exalted,  expanded  senses 
the  noise  of  movement  is  heavenly  music,  the  wind  like  wine  of 
the  gods. 

VI 

Once  we  stopped,  drawing  up  by  the  fragrant  roadside ;  and 
as  the  pulses  of  the  engine  died  away,  so  died  away  the  strange 
sensation  of  giant,  divine  life  with  which  its  breath  had  endowed 
us.  No  longer  gods,  we  stood  under  a  clump  of  hawthorn 
and  gave  ear  to  the  first  faint  voices  of  the  birds.  Inert  and 
dead  reposed  the  magic  carriage,  all  its  fiery  energy  dissolved, 
helpless  to  move  itself  an  inch,  its  devouring  life  resolved  into 
a  few  hundredweights  of  metal,  a  few  gallons  of  petrol,  a  few 
coils  of  wire,  a  few  handfuls  of  salts  and  acids.  In  place  of 
the  rushing  exhilaration  of  our  stormy  progress,  the  quietness 
of  the  morning  now  stole  upon  our  senses.  The  road  lay  full 
in  our  view  for  a  mile  on  either  hand,  empty.  The  great  over- 
ture of  the  skies  was  nearly  ended,  and  the  eastern  fires,  now 
changed  from  saffron  to  gold,  were  gloriously  revealed  as  the 
curtain  of  cloud  rolled  away.  The  sun  began  to  warm  the 
chilly  air  and,  striking  on  our  backs,  threw  our  mile-long 
shadows  on  the  road.  And  as  we  thus  stood  we  were  presently 
aware  of  a  far-away  throbbing  sound  that  increased  evenly 
from  a  drone  to  a  weird  cry — the  sound  of  a  racing  car  at  full 
speed.    A  speck  appeared  over  the  edge  of  the  distance,  rapidly 


318  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

grew  and  took  form,  and  then  in  a  flash  one  of  our  monster's 
rivals  came  up,  went  roaring  by  with  its  two  crouching,  wind- 
bitten  occupants,  and  was  gone  in  a  whirl  of  dust.  The  one 
glimpse  we  had  of  the  driver  showed  a  man  with  an  adamant 
face,  his  hands  clinging  like  steel  to  his  steering  wheel,  his 
white  overall  flattened  in  front  and  distended  behind  by  the 
wind.  He  came  and  went  like  an  apparition.  The  moment 
after  he  had  gone  one  could  scarcely  believe  that  he  had  been 
there,  but  his  whirlwind  passage  left  an  impression  that  was 
at  once  startling,  intoxicating,  appalling.  That  is  what  it 
looked  like — a  shocking,  death-challenging  performance ;  and 
yet  we  who  were  familiar  with  it,  who  had  but  a  moment  before 
alighted  from  a  similar  flight,  knew  that  the  adamant  face  re- 
presented only  concentration  ;  that  behind  it  there  lay  a  brain 
perfectly  cool,  perfectly  attentive  ;  and  that  within  the  storm 
of  noises  and  tempest  of  the  nerves  there  existed  a  calm,  an 
exalted,  a  serene  contentment. 


VII 

And  presently,  while  we  still  waited  in  the  coolness  of  that 
early  May  morning  listening  to  the  birds  that  now  began  to 
sing  more  heartily,  there  fell  on  our  ears  another  signal,  this 
time  of  sinister  portent.  Far  away  among  the  fields  of  the 
lower  valleys,  like  the  firing  of  heavy  guns,  resounded  the  first 
of  a  series  of  echoing  detonations.  We  looked  at  one  another : 
"  One  of  the  Arrows,"  we  said,  naming  the  terrible  but  un- 
lucky brood  that  had  their  habitation  on  the  Battery  pier. 
Herculean  efforts,  it  appeared,  had  awakened  one  of  these  to 
the  dread  environment  of  the  road,  and  it  was  even  now  on  its 
way ;  but  so  fiery  was  its  pent-up  passion,  so  intemperate  and 
greedy  its  frustrated  appetite,  that  one  out  of  every  dozen  or 
so  of  the  inspirations  of  its  lungs  was  gulped  down  raw,  to 
explode  in  its  bowels  with  a  tremendous  report.  It  must  have 
been  three  miles  away  when  we  heard  it  first,  for  several  minutes 
passed  before  the  explosions,  instantly  increasing  in  volume, 
became  so  deafening  as  to  assure  us  of  the  immediate  arrival 
of  the  machine.  Then  it  appeared,  growing,  like  the  insect  of 
a  nightmare,  enormously  bigger  and  louder ;  slowed  down  and 
drew  up  beside  us  ;   and,  for  once  obedient  to  the  will  of  its 


THE   OPEN   ROAD  319 

driver,  roared  itself  out  into  quietness.  Then  we  were  able 
to  speak  to  the  man  and  hear  the  tale  of  his  journey.  It  was 
wild  enough.  He  was  covered,  even  to  his  face,  with  oil,  which 
was  flying  up  out  of  some  neglected  orifice ;  his  frail  seat  had 
given  way  beneath  him,  and  he  was  shaken  and  bounced  pre- 
cariously over  the  fatal  chains  and  wheels  of  his  charge  ;  the 
covering  of  a  metal  switch  controlling  the  passage  of  electric 
fluid  to  the  vitals  of  the  engine  had  come  off;  so  that  even  to 
modify  the  speed  of  the  insane  projectile  upon  which  he  rode, 
he  must  instantly  keep  pressing  his  thumb  upon  the  sharp  and 
lacerating  point  of  the  switch,  receiving  an  electric  shock  as 
well  as  a  flesh-wound  every  time.  "  It  isn't  as  if  I  had  nothing 
else  to  do,"  he  remarked,  with  singular  moderation,  as  he  wiped 
the  oil  and  sweat  from  his  face  and  the  blood  from  his  fingers ; 
"  but  at  any  rate  she  goes  ! "  And  he  turned  again  cheerfully 
to  his  really  appalling  task.  The  engine  was  restarted  in  a 
clap  of  thunder,  and  with  a  six-foot  flash  of  yellow  flame  the 
car  rushed  away,  booming  like  a  minute-gun  long  after  it  was 
out  of  sight. 

Insane  and  vulgar,  you  might  be  tempted  to  say  of  this  un- 
flattering portrait;  but  you  would  be  very  far  wrong.  The 
man  was  wrestling  with  a  giant — "  fighting  his  car,"  in  his  own 
vivid  phrase  ;  and  he  was  fighting  with  a  remorseless,  a  gigantic 
power.  He  was  there  to  tame  it,  to  bend  it  to  his  will,  to  con- 
quer or  be  conquered  by  it.  He  was  taking  his  part  in  the 
great  breaking-in  of  this  new  force  that  will  presently  serve 
us  universally  and  with  complete  docility — a  thing,  surely,  a 
thousand  times  worth  doing.  He  was  one  of  the  new  race  that 
has  risen  up  for  this  formidable  campaign,  a  giant  in  strength, 
a  lion  at  heart,  a  good  fellow  in  all  human  relations — in  a  word,  a 
man  entirely  fitted  to  fight  and  wrestle  with  untamed  machinery. 
Twenty  years  ago  you  would  not  have  found  men  with  the 
coolness,  the  nerve,  the  physical  strength  and  brain  endurance 
necessary  to  drive  and  steer  along  the  country  roads  at  seventy 
miles  an  hour  an  erratic  and  imperfect  carriage ;  now  they  are 
with  us  in  plenty,  although  it  is  rare  to  find  them  perfectly 
equipped.  Such  a  one,  I  think,  was  he  of  the  bloody  hands 
and  oily  face;  such  a  one  is  certainly  my  companion  of  that 
morning,  beside  whom,  perched  among  the  flimsy  girders  of  his 
quaking  machine,  I  sat  as  safely  as  in  a  garden  while  we  took  the 


320  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

road  again,  climbing  up  the  cold  breast  of  Snaefell,  chattering 
round  corners  and  among  the  rocks  of  the  mountain  road, 
skimming  again  down  the  great  spiral  track,  with  the  birds 
flying  below  us  and  the  level  floor  of  the  sea  rising  up  round 
about  us.  It  is  something  more  than  a  whim  of  mine  to  believe 
that  a  very  definite  human  virtue  resides  in  the  ability  to  meet 
all  these  risks  smiling,  and  to  turn  them  into  safety  ;  and  when 
we  drew  up  at  our  journey's  end  that  morning,  and  the  intent 
angle  of  his  broad  back  was  relaxed,  I  knew  that  my  friend 
had  a  good  human  heart. 

VIII 

Of  the  race  itself,  which  differed  little  from  other  motor  road- 
races  that  I  have  seen,  we  may  pause  to  take  one  glimpse  here. 
There  is  no  form  of  sport  that  seems  quite  so  inane  to  those 
who  merely  read  about  it  as  a  motor  road-race,  with  its  con- 
fusion of  circuits,  its  controls  and  neutralisations,  its  vexatious 
details  of  minutes  and  seconds.  Yet  for  those  who  are  present 
and  who  follow  the  fortunes  of  the  competitors  throughout  their 
arduous  day  there  is  interest  enough  to  keep  the  mind  enter- 
tained and  the  imagination  busy.  P'or  though  perhaps  only 
once  in  an  hour  and  a  half  do  the  watchers  at  any  one  point 
catch  a  glimpse  of  each  competitor,  the  intervals  are  full  of 
expectation,  of  flying  rumours,  of  winged  fragments  of  news 
that  travel  in  some  mysterious  and  unknown  way  across  the 
hills  and  valleys  from  lonely  parts  of  the  course.  That  a  com- 
petitor should  have  suffered  a  punctured  tyre  or  a  broken  chain 
twenty  miles  away  will  sometimes  be  known  at  controls  where 
no  telegraph  wire  is  tapped,  and  whither  no  merely  physical 
agency  can  have  carried  the  news  ;  and  known  at  a  moment 
impossibly  soon  for  any  normal  means  of  communication.  One 
accepts  it  all  as  a  phenomenon  of  the  quickened  atmosphere  in 
which  these  giant  infants  of  the  human  brain  live  and  move, 
the  radiant  energy,  both  of  mind  and  body,  that  infects  all  who 
approach  them. 

Regard  one  single  instance  of  its  working.  At  a  control 
established  in  some  wayside  village,  that  yesterday  slumbered 
over  its  sunny  and  deliberate  occupations  and  to-morrow  will 
gratefully  return  to  them,  stands  a  little  group  of  officials  with 
their  paraphernalia  of  papers,  stop-watches,  reports,  and  time- 


THE   OPEN    ROAD  321 

sheets.  The  road,  curving  round  into  the  village,  is  flanked 
by  sightseers  encamped  for  the  day.  On  one  side  is  a  depot 
for  pneumatic  tyres  ;  on  another  a  whole  engineer's  establish- 
ment from  London  or  Birmingham,  with  its  attendant  army 
of  mechanics.  Only  the  road  itself  is  empty,  lying  white  and 
expectant  in  the  sunshine,  carefully  guarded  by  barriers,  ropes, 
constables.  All  the  ordinary  village  sounds  are  stilled ;  the 
smithy  lies  cold  and  idle,  the  shops  are  shuttered,  the  rumbling 
farm  carts  are  laid  up  in  their  sheds  ;  there  is  no  sound  but — 
the  strangest  of  all  sounds  to  hear  about  an  empty  road — the 
low  continuous  buzz  of  talk.  The  papers  on  the  official  table 
flutter  in  the  breeze ;  the  officials,  tired  of  comparing  their  vast 
array  of  figures,  talk  in  desultory  groups ;  the  mechanics  are 
stretched  on  the  warm  ground,  resting ;  and  thus  the  scene 
remains  for  a  little  while  until  the  telephone  bell  tinkles, 
galvanising  the  official  group  into  attention.  The  murmur 
of  conversation  swells  for  a  moment  as  the  name  of  the  coming 
competitor  is  passed  along ;  the  dozing  mechanics  rouse  them- 
selves ;  the  tyre  repairers  fall  into  an  ordered  readiness  ;  and 
then  the  throng  settles  itself  to  silence  for  a  moment.  They 
are  listening.  Far  away,  nearer,  nearer  still,  sounds  a  steady 
throb ;  a  pillar  of  dust  like  the  smoke  from  a  field-gun  rises 
from  behind  the  near  hills  ;  and  some  seconds  after,  arriving 
like  a  giant  projectile  from  the  same  gun,  the  long,  low  car 
rushes  with  a  scream  of  brakes  up  to  the  line.  In  a  moment 
sound  and  commotion  surround  it ;  it  is  enveloped  in  a  cloud 
of  officials  and  onlookers,  smothering  their  voices  in  the  uproar 
of  its  engine.  The  times  are  taken,  the  stop-watches  set  going, 
and  it  moves  forward  to  the  repairing  station.  The  beast  is 
maimed ;  it  is  thirsty  ;  its  begrimed  directors,  unable  to  make 
themselves  heard  above  its  defiant  bellowings,  gesticulate  and 
point  to  the  wounded  part.  Mechanics  throw  themselves  on 
the  ground  beside  it,  crawl  beneath  it,  lie  with  upturned  faces 
close  to  where  all  the  wild  powers  of  fire  and  steel  are  rending 
its  heart  with  shattering  explosions.  On  its  tyres,  hot  with  all 
the  hatred  of  the  spurned  miles,  are  thrown  glittering  cascades 
from  a  dozen  pails  of  cold  water ;  into  its  maw  is  poured  gallon 
after  gallon  of  fluent  life,  limpid  as  summer  dews,  dreadful 
as  the  caverns  of  Vesuvius;  attendants  minister  to  the  needs 
of  the  driver  and  his  assistant,  who,  seated  on  their  reverberating 


322  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

platform  and  well-nigh  drowned  beneath  the  deluges  of  water 
and  petrol,  receive  indiscriminately  sandwiches,  champagne, 
apples,  chicken,  and  concentrated  foods.  And  all  this  deafening 
and  passionate  activity  lasts  only  for  a  few  seconds.  As  the 
last  mechanics  scramble  from  beneath  it  the  mighty  engine, 
now  refreshed,  grips  the  transmission  shaft ;  the  car  bounds 
away ;  the  stream  of  explosions  fades  in  the  distance ;  the 
crowd  in  the  control  returns  to  its  quiet  conversation  ;  and  only 
a  dozen  green  petrol  tins,  a  pool  of  water,  a  broken  champagne 
bottle,  a  half-gnawed  apple,  a  piece  of  sponge-cake  soaked  in 
wine  and  petrol,  and  a  banana  skin  lying  in  a  puddle  of  oil, 
mark  the  scene  of  this  momentary  and  monstrous  refreshment. 
They  see  not  the  whole  of  this  picture  who  regard  it  as  a 
signal  of  vulgar  and  extravagant  folly.  Among  the  onlookers 
and  the  cloud  of  parasites  that  buzz  like  flies  round  the  com- 
mercial honey  of  which  each  car  is  a  centre,  there  are  doubtless 
many  dull,  greedy,  and  partly  insane  persons  ;  but  never  among 
those  who  work,  whether  they  stand  for  ten  hours  in  sun  or  rain 
at  a  wayside  control  toiling  at  advanced  mathematics,  or  storm 
along  at  the  extreme  of  speed  for  the  same  ten  hours,  or  lie 
on  their  backs  with  the  inventors  in  pools  of  oil,  petrol  running 
into  their  eyes,  brute  metal  at  a  red  heat  menacing  their  faces. 
Ah,  no  ;  in  the  labours  of  these  there  is  something  Titanic, 
something  of  the  dignity  that  invests  all  worthy  battles  fought 
against  heavy  odds,  something  of  the  fragrance  of  enthusiasm, 
the  glory  of  the  pioneer,  the  nobility  that  crowns  all  those  who 
work  for  to-morrow.  For  among  them  they  are  discovering, 
moulding,  teaching,  adapting,  and  tempering  what  we  may 
call  the  character  of  the  motor-car — a  profound  and  singular 
personality,  full  of  life  and  power. 


IX 

But  we  have  perhaps  pored  too  closely  over  the  wheels 
and  cranks  of  the  machines  themselves,  and  delayed  too  long 
our  return  to  the  open  road  ;  and  in  doing  so  we  have  but 
fallen  into  the  common  fault  of  forgetting,  in  contemplating  the 
means,  the  end  for  which  our  fascinating  slave  was  called  into 
being.  But  once  on  the  road  it  ceases  to  be  a  mechanical  study 
and  becomes  part  of  ourselves — an  executive  part  that  answers 


THE   OPEN   ROAD  323 

our  will  and  carries  us  whither  we  would  go.  And  there  is 
its  proper  place,  that  is  its  proper  mission,  apart  from  which 
it  can  only  be  imperfectly  understood.  A  ship  lying  upon  the 
foul  waters  of  a  dock,  unmoved  by  the  tides,  unvisited  by  the 
sea  breezes,  is  often  but  a  sordid  thing,  dark  and  stuffy  and 
evil-smelling.  But  see  the  same  ship  when  she  is  in  her  own 
place,  when  the  blue  seas  heave  under  her,  and  the  trade  winds 
hum  in  her  rigging.  How  pure  she  is  then,  how  properly 
adapted  for  her  purpose ;  how  the  sunlight  searches  all  her 
corners,  and  the  salt  airs  make  fragrant  all  her  spaces !  So 
with  the  motor-car  ;  if  you  would  appreciate  it,  you  must  take 
it  to  the  open  road  ;  and  really  to  know  all  its  virtues  you  must 
drive  it  yourself,  become  one  with  it,  establish  between  it  and 
yourself  that  sympathy  which  is  perhaps  the  most  enchanting 
of  its  qualities,  and  is  really  the  secret  of  effortless  control  and 
mastery. 

At  first  the  road  will  alarm  you  by  its  panorama  of  risks  and 
escapes ;  then  it  will  exhaust  you  with  its  unending  claims 
upon  your  attention  and  interest,  so  that  at  the  end  of  a  day 
your  mind  will  refuse  to  desist,  and  will  go  on  directing  your 
progress  ;  and,  finally,  it  will  hypnotise  you  and  implant  in  you 
that  restlessness,  as  haunting  as  the  heimweh  that  is  its  opposite, 
with  which  it  draws  back  to  itself  all  who  have  ever  fallen 
under  its  sway.  This  passion  for  the  road  is  a  far  from  new 
thing — it  is  one  of  the  oldest  things  in  the  world.  But  it  is 
new  in  its  intensity ;  and  I  can  imagine,  when  the  first  genera- 
tion of  motorists  shall  have  passed  away,  their  spirits  haunting 
for  ever  the  highways  that  first  enthralled  them,  and  ghostly 
puffs  of  dust  travelling  by  themselves  throughout  a  long  sum- 
mer's day,  and  the  wind  of  an  unseen  passage  fluttering  the 
heaps  of  autumn  leaves  by  the  wayside.  And  so  I  doubt  not 
that  when  some  of  us  who  have  fallen  into  this  bondage  lie 
a-dying,  the  last  image  of  the  world  present  to  our  minds  will 
be  the  picture  that  thousands  of  miles  have  photographed  on 
our  memory ;  of  the  road  stretched  white  and  narrowing,  of 
the  trees  hurrying  to  meet  us,  of  the  snug  homesteads  left 
behind  in  the  dusk,  of  the  eternal  Unknown  that  lies  just 
beyond  the  turn  of  the  road. 


324  THE   COMPLETE    MOTORIST 

X 

Of  all  the  roads  that  ribbon  England  none  is  more  alive,  or 
has  a  more  engaging  personality,  or  expresses  more  clearly  the 
spirit  of  the  road,  than  Telford's  great  highway  from  London 
to  Holyhead.  Made  for  endurance,  it  has  long  outlasted  its 
first  purpose,  until  in  the  fulness  of  time  that  purpose  has  been 
restored  to  it,  and  once  more  it  is  in  use  from  end  to  end.  No 
longer  a  mere  chain  of  short  links  connecting  hamlet  with  town, 
and  village  with  city,  it  has  come  again,  by  wonderful  revolu- 
tions, to  its  ancient  dignity.  Modern  ingenuity  has  breathed 
on  its  slumbering  spirit,  which  in  these  latter  days  has  waked 
again  to  the  bustle  of  life,  the  song  of  wheels,  and  the  great 
business  of  travel. 

So  many  roads  set  out  bravely  enough  and  lose  themselves 
in  a  tangle  of  crossways  and  bypaths,  all  their  purpose  dissi- 
pated, all  their  promise  unfulfilled.  But  this  is  a  road  that  sets 
out  and  arrives.  Even  while  it  is  still  within  the  influence  of 
London  its  purpose  is  obvious  to  the  traveller.  Or  rather,  it 
is  obvious  that  it  has  a  purpose  ;  a  profound  and  determined, 
and  yet  a  mysterious,  purpose,  as  of  one  who  should  say :  "  I 
have  set  out  upon  a  long  journey ;  follow  my  guidance  to  the 
end  and  you  will  see  what  my  purpose  is."  Even  in  these  early 
stages,  when  its  milestones  bear  such  a  legend  as  "  Potterspury, 
2  miles,"  the  noble  breadth  and  long  straight  bearings  give  the 
lie  to  an  inscription  so  local  and  so  petty.  Obviously  it  has  no 
concern  with  Potterspury.  It  does  not  go  to  Potterspury ;  it 
passes  through  it.  Its  purpose  is  serious  and  ultimate  ;  but  not 
until  you  have  followed  its  every  mile  and  the  road  stops  on 
the  edge  of  a  sheet  of  green  harbour  water  do  you  realise 
what  that  purpose  was — why  the  road  ran  so  straight  through 
Daventry,  why  it  did  not  mind  going  through  Birmingham,  or 
being  soiled  by  the  dust  of  the  Black  Country.  For  even  when 
it  was  at  Stony  Stratford,  it  was  the  Holyhead  Road,  the  road 
to  Ireland.  In  its  most  dallying  moments,  looping  round  some 
pretty  tree-clad  hill  or  dipping  into  a  valley  sweet  with  sheltered 
flowers,  it  still  meant  to  arrive ;  the  dalliance  was  only  momen- 
tary, only  apparent ;  the  ultimate  purpose  continually  present 
and  manifest.  I  speak  as  if  the  road  moved  and  not  the  way- 
farer ;    and   perhaps  the   accurate   man  will   quarrel  with    my 


THE   OPEN   ROAD  325 

paradox.  Nevertheless  it  is  one  of  the  simple  truths  which 
accuracy  is  most  apt  to  miss.  In  all  our  talk  of  roads  this 
movement  is  taken  for  granted  ;  all  our  verbs  are  active.  The 
road  comes  from  this  place  ;  it  leads  to  that ;  it  is  a  fast  road 
or  a  slow  road  ;  it  climbs  hills,  drops  into  valleys,  crosses  rivers, 
runs  beside  railways  ;  and  in  all  this  speech  its  rippling,  moving 
habit  is  illustrated.  It  is  the  road  that  really  moves  forward  ; 
at  most  the  traveller  follows  it,  lagging  ever  behind.  For  he 
never  overtakes  the  road  ;  it  is  always  before  him,  just  round 
the  next  corner,  wriggling  away  like  a  snake  from  his  pursuing 
wheels,  always  cheating,  always  beckoning,  always  eluding  him, 
always  going  on. 

The  spirit  of  Telford,  the  man  who  dealt  with  flints  and 
granite,  hills  and  valleys,  fields  and  rivers,  and  turned  them  all 
into  miles,  resides  in  his  Holyhead  Road.  So  much  of  honest 
labour  does  not  die,  but  takes  in  the  passage  of  years  a  character 
and  personality  of  its  own.  One  is  tempted  to  moralise  about 
the  travellers  upon,  the  road  ;  all  the  toiling  feet,  all  the  dusty 
wheels,  all  the  hearts,  sad  and  happy,  that  have  passed  that 
way  and  made  sacred  its  ancient  stages.  The  Romans  in  their 
day  of  pride  ;  the  armies,  victorious  and  fugitive ;  the  jolly- 
hearted  travellers  by  coach  in  winter ;  the  lovers  trembling 
through  the  scented  starlight  of  a  May  night — these  all  used 
the  road,  but  are  vanished  out  of  its  life  and  memory  and  have 
left  not  a  scratch  on  the  surface.  It  is  no  monument  of  theirs  ; 
it  is  a  monument  only  to  those  who  made  it,  breaking  new 
ground  here,  taking  in  a  length  of  time-worn  highway  there  ; 
surely  a  monument  most  stable  and  enduring.  For  all  time — 
or  so  it  seems  to  creatures  of  a  day — its  mark  is  set  across  the 
face  of  our  island,  recording,  like  a  finger-post,  one  of  the  ant- 
like trails  of  human  activity.  Its  daily  history  is  an  epitome 
of  human  life,  for  on  its  stage  are  daily  performed  all  the  acts 
in  our  brief  comedy  ;  daily  it  bears  the  physician  to  the  bed 
of  birth,  daily  the  bridegroom  hastens  along  it  to  meet  his 
bride,  daily  it  sees  some  hopeful  heart  set  forth  on  his  life's 
adventure,  and  daily  its  dust  is  stirred  by  the  tramp  and  shuffle 
of  feet  moving  to  an  open  grave.  All  through  the  night,  while 
we  are  snug  in  bed,  its  surface  lies  silent  in  the  moonlight  or 
glistening  rain  ;  but  throughout  the  longer  night,  when  we  shall 
be  no  more  interested,  it  will  remain  the  scene  of  primitive 


326  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

effort  and  joy  and  grief,  and  resound  still  to  the  rumour  of 
labour  and  of  life. 

XI 

Secure  in  its  purpose,  the  Holyhead  Road  can  afford  to  take 
on  the  colour  of  its  surroundings.  When  it  is  in  Dunstable  it 
does  as  Dunstable  does,  spreading  itself  out  as  though  land 
were  of  no  value,  and  as  though  sunshine  and  a  reposeful 
expansiveness  were  all  that  a  road  could  desire.  But  it  wears  a 
different  face  far  away  in  bleak  Anglesey,  where  its  miles  are 
laid  as  a  thread  over  stony  moorlands  ;  or  where  it  cuts  through 
the  living  rock,  or  spans  the  clear  green  waters  of  a  sea  strait. 
Strong  in  the  sense  that  it  is  a  national  and  not  a  local  road,  it 
speaks  different  languages  in  the  course  of  its  varied  career.  It 
can  be  as  modern  as  Birmingham  and  as  ancient  as  Pentre 
Voelas ;  it  can  be  as  dignified  as  Dunstable  and  as  mean 
as  Weedon  ;  it  can  be  as  terse  as  Chirk  or  as  redundant  as 
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerchwyrndrobwlltysiliogogogoch.  And 
safe  in  the  knowledge  that  it  is  the  Holyhead  Road,  it  does 
not  observe  a  timid  exclusiveness,  but  now  and  again  shares 
a  stage  with  other  roads  of  suitable  dignity.  Here  it 
borrows  a  mile  or  two  from  its  great  brother,  the  North 
Road,  there  keeps  company  with  its  Roman  ancestors,  Watling 
Street  and  the  Old  Chester  Road.  It  is  at  once  catholic 
and  distinguished,  generous  and  thrifty,  cheerful  and  serious. 
Of  the  lesser  highways  that  come  to  salute  its  glorious  progress 
all  are  made  welcome,  whether  as  tributaries  or  borrowers  ; 
roads  that  come  rushing  pell-mell  into  it  down  a  steep  hill, 
roads  that  sweep  grandly  away  from  it  and  end  foolishly 
in  a  cattle-yard,  roads  that  steal  away  for  an  almost  parallel 
hundred  yards,  and  then  suddenly  and  hastily  turn  off  at 
right  angles.  Great  and  small,  broad  and  narrow,  they  are 
all  admitted  to  its  company,  with  one  single  and  significant 
exception — the  shining  steel  way  that  once  robbed  it  of  its 
glories  and  left  it  for  years  lonely  and  deserted.  From  contact 
with  this  despoiler  it  now  keeps  itself  inviolate.  There  are  no 
level  crossings  on  the  Holyhead  Road  ;  the  railway  may  soar 
above  it  or  burrow  beneath  it,  but  may  never  again  meet  it  on 
the  level. 


THE   OPEN    ROAD  327 


XII 


If,  winged  with  the  modern  magic,  you  use  the  Holyhead 
Road  you  cannot  fail  to  be  cheered  by  a  great  company  that 
keeps  with  you  throughout  the  miles.  I  speak  not  of  the  trees, 
but  of  those  more  constant  flankers  of  a  main  road,  the  tele- 
graph posts  and  wires.  You  first  become  impressed  by  the 
majesty  of  their  companionship  as  the  road  leaves  St.  Albans. 
Before  that,  if  you  approach  the  Holyhead  Road  as  I  love  to 
approach  it,  by  the  winding,  hill-tossed  way  from  Edgware 
through  Elstree,  you  will  have  noticed  a  single  rank  of  wires 
here  and  there  hurrying  to  the  great  tryst ;  and  as  you  pass 
through  the  streets  of  St.  Albans  they  begin  to  crowd  together, 
by  twos  and  fours,  coming,  you  would  think,  from  nowhere, 
flying  in  all  directions  over  the  ancient  roofs  of  the  town  and 
past  the  chimneys  and  weather-vanes  like  gathering  rumours, 
or  like  flurried  passengers  making  haste  to  be  in  time.  And 
then,  as  you  turn  the  corner  out  of  the  town,  you  come  upon 
the  first  of  those  mighty  twin  posts,  braced  and  stayed  against 
the  pull  of  eighty  wires  humming  steady  organ  harmonies  in 
the  wind,  upon  which  all  the  convergent  threads  of  news  are 
ranked  for  their  northward  march.  Oh,  but  they  are  brave 
companions,  singing  their  song  in  the  breeze,  pointing  the  way 
far  ahead  up  the  mountain  road,  and  for  ever  ranking  and 
drooping  and  streaming,  and  starting  up  and  swooping  down 
beside  you  !  Once,  near  Bangor,  you  lose  them  for  several  miles, 
and  cannot  see  them  on  either  horizon  ;  but  suddenly  they  rush 
upon  you  again  from  behind  a  hill,  as  though  they  joyed  in  the 
reunion  after  pursuing  some  short  and  steep  cut  of  their  own. 
And  fast  as  you  fly,  the  messages  of  good  or  evil  news,  of  fortunes 
won  or  lost,  of  lives  begun  and  lives  ended,  are  flying  faster  along 
the  wires  ;  and  far  as  you  follow  the  road's  course,  they  are 
diminishing  in  number,  dropping  off  to  finish  their  journey  (so 
grandly  begun)  at  some  wayside  village.  For  of  all  the  company 
that  marched  through  Dunstable  in  double  ranks  on  each  side  of 
the  road,  two  posts  abreast  and  forty  wires  to  a  post,  only  two 
keep  faith  with  the  road.  These  are  the  two  that,  when  the  last 
miles  have  been  entered  and  the  journey  has  resolved  itself  into 
a  dream  of  miles  and  speed  and  a  wind  laden  with  honey  and 
roses,  go  with  you  down  the  long  straight  ribbon  over  Anglesey 


328 


THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 


to  where  the  sea  plunges  under  the  cHff  and  the  gulls  cry  about 
the  lighthouse.  For  the  wires  are  the  Holyhead  wires,  although 
you  could  not  distinguish  them  among  the  throng  at  St.  Albans  ; 
and  the  wires  dip  under  the  sea  and  go  on  to  their  promised 
land  ;  but  the  road  ? — The  road  to  Ireland,  for  all  its  earnestness 
and  splendid  purpose,  pauses  for  ever  on  the  edge  of  Wales,  and 
resigns  its  charge  to  the  waiting  ships.  .  .  . 

In  a  play  by  Mr.  Yeats  a  dreamer  says  :  "  The  roads  are  the 
only  things  that  are  endless."  To  which  a  matter-of-fact 
person,  unconsciously  expressing  a  still  greater  dream,  replies: 
"  Yes,  but  even  they  have  to  stop  when  they  come  to  the  sea." 


l[BE''ENn 


APPENDIX 

REPORT    OF    THE   JUDGES    ON    THE    TRIALS    OF 
SMALL   CARS 

SELLING   AT   A   PRICE   NOT   EXCEEDING   ;^200 

Held  at  Hereford,  August-September,    1904,  by  the  Automobile  Club  of  Great 
Britai)i  and  Ireland 


THE  Trials  commenced  on  Monday,  August  29th,  punctually  at  eight 
a.m.,  as  arranged,  and  concluded  on  Saturday,  September  3rd,  at  five 
p.m.,  when  the  cars  were  assembled,  and  traversed  the  city  of  Hereford  in 
procession. 

During  the  twelve  runs  of  about  fifty  miles  each,  which  constituted  the 
Trials,  the  Judges  watched  the  performance  of  the  cars  and  carried  out 
various  tests.  On  two  days  following  the  Trials  they  made  further  tests, 
and  examined  the  construction  and  condition  of  each  car.  They  now 
report  as  follows  : — 

Out  of  the  thirty-eight  entries  thirty-five  competitors  started,  and  of 
these  twenty-six  completed  the  620  miles.  The  order  of  merit  as  to  the 
non-stop  runs  of  all  cars  which  completed  the  620  miles  is  given  in  Table 
I.,  and  the  class  and  performance  of  each  competitor  appears  in  a  con- 
densed form  in  Table  II. — Record  of  Road  Performances. 


TABLE   I.— NON-STOP   RUNS 


ORDER    OF    MERIT 

0  h.p.  Siddeley,  No.  18  .  .  . 

8-10  h.p.  Croxted,  No.  30  .  .  .  . 

0  h.p.  Wolseley  Team.     No.  20,  12  N.S.  ;  No.  10,  11  N.S. 

0  h.p.  Dion  Team.     No.  22,  12  N.S.  ;  No.  23,  11  N.S. 

tij  h.p.  and  Tj  h.p.  Humber  Cars.     No.  16  and  No.  34 

Single-cylinder  Swift.     No.  14  . 

9  h.p.  Oldsmobile.     No-  25        . 

Two-cylinder  Swift.     No.  20     . 

7  h.p.  AUdays  Team.     No.  32,  10  N.S. ;  No.  17,  9  N.S 

7  h.p.  Star  Team.     No.  38,  10  N.S. ;  No.  15,  S  N.S. 

8  h.p.  Prosper-Lambert.     No.  37 

0  h.p.  Mobile.     No.  11  .  .  . 

li  h.p.  Speedwell.     No.  2  . 

8  h.p.  INIobile.     No.  24  .  .  . 

9  h.p.  Speedwell.     No.  13  . 

(3  h.p.  Pelham.     No.  S  .  .  . 

8  h.p.  Brown.     No.  12  .  .  . 

9  h.p.  Anglian.     No.  31  .  .  . 

li  h.p.  Jackson  Team.     No.  4,  G  N.S.  ;  No.  1,  3  N.S. 
7  h.p.  Clyde.     No.  21 


rl2  Non-Stop  Runs. 

>  II3  Non-stop  Runs. 
11  Non-stop  Runs. 

!-10  Non-stop  Runs. 

9j  Non-stop  Runs. 
1-9  Non-stop  Runs. 
8  Non-stop  Runs. 
7  Non-stop  Runs. 
6  Non-stop  Runs. 

5  Non-stop  Runs. 

4^  Non-stop  Runs. 
4  Non-stop  Runs. 


Of  the  cars  which  failed  to  complete  the  runs  a  few  were,  nevertheless, 
of  promising  novelty,  and  some  of  already  proved  merit  failed  in  conse- 
quence of  defects  not  likely  to  be  recurrent.  Of  the  latter,  there  were  the 
7  h.p.  Oldsmobile  Runabout,  in  which  the  cooling  system  proved  defective  ; 
the  8  h.p.  Cadillac,  one  bearing  of  which  heated  and  seized  ;  and  the  6  h.p. 
Vauxhall,  which  broke  its  connecting-rod.  The  novelties  were  the  8  h.p. 
Rover,  which  was  disabled  by  the  breakage  of  one  ball  in  a  crank  shaft 
bearing,  and  the  7  h.p.  Downshire,  in  which  one  of  the  gear  wheels  was 
broken  by  displacement  of  a  pin.  Defective  pipe  connections  were  mainly 
accountable  for  the  other  retirements. 

A  large  number  of  cars  appeared  to  be  made  up  of  almost  identical  parts, 
individually  well  designed,  but  roughly  and  somewhat  flimsily  assembled. 

329 


330 


THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 


MONDAY. 


TABLE    II.— RECORD   OF 

TUESDAY.  WEDNESDAY. 


Description. 


CLASS  A. 

6   h.p.     Jackson 
dog-cart  (A) 


0  h.p.  Speedwell 
8  h.p.  Horley(F) 

CLASS  B. 

6    h.p.    Jackson 
dog-cart  (A) 

6  h.p.  Vauxhall 


6  Th.p.Oldsmobile 

7  6 J  h.p.  Service 


Morning. 


1  stop   2i  min. 
ignition 


Non-stop  . 
Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop  . 


Air-lock  in  water 
connections:  re- 
tired 

2  stops  on  hills, 
1  stop  engine 


Afternoon. 


8     6  h.p.  Pelham    .     Non-stop 


9  |8h.p.  Horley(F) 


Non-Stop 


CLASS  C. 

10     li  h.p.   Wolseley  i  Non-Stop 
(D)  j 

6  h.p.  Mobile     .     Non-stop 


8  h.p.  Brown     .    Non-stop 


9  h.p.  Speedwell    Non-stop  . 


14  7  h.p.  1-cylinder 
Swift 

15  •  7  h.p.  Little  Star 

(B) 

16  I  6i  h.p.  Humber- 
i     ette 


Non-stop 


1    stop,     broken 
plug,  3  min. 

Non-stop  . 


3  stops  to  fill 
water  tank,  2'.i 
min. ;  1  for 
trembler,  5  min. 


1  stop,  2  min., 
nut  on  inlet 
pipe  loose 

Non-stop  . 


Non-stop 


Non-stop  . 


Non-stop 


1  stop,  2S  min., 
broken  water 
pipe 

1  stop,  3J  min., 
ignition;  1  stop 
petrol  pipe 
broken,  -511  mm., 
(no  non-stop 
award) 

Non-stop  . 

2  stops,  2  min. 
each,  tighten- 
ing induction 
pipe  nut 

Non-stop  . 


Non-stop 

Non-stop 
Non-stop 
Non-stop 


Morning. 


Afternoon. 


1  stop,  water 
connection,  10 
min.;  trembler, 
4 min.;  stopped 
on  Fromes  Hill 
twice 

Stopped  on 
Fromes  Hill 

Missed  gear,  ad- 
justed clutch,  8 
m.,  on  Fromes 
Hill 

Stopped  on 
Fromes  Hill 


Stopped        o 
Fromes  Hill 


Stopped  and 
dropped  Obser- 
ver on  2  hills ; 
dropped  Obser- 
ver on  8  others 

Stopped  on 
Fromes  Hill, 
plug   nut   lost, 


6  stops  on  hills, 
2  for  ignition, 
28  min. 


Non-stop  . 

Engine  stopped 
twice  on  Fromes 
Hill 

Stopped  on 
Fromes  Hill 


Stopped  on 
Fromes  Hill  on 
timed  part 


Stopped       on 
Fromes  Hill 

Stopped        on 
Fromes  Hill 


Pushed       on 
Fromes  Hill 


Non-stop 


Stopped  on  8 
hills ;  repaired 
water  tank,  1  h. 
4ij  min. 


1  stop,  2  min. ,  for 
broken  wire ; 
stopped  on 
Fromes  Hill 

3  stops  for  igni- 
tion, 8  min. ;  2 
stops  on  hill 


2 -stops,  want  of 
petrol,  10  min 

Stopped        01 
Fromes  Hill 


Stopped       on 
Fromes  Hil 


Morning. 


4  stops   for  igni- 
tion, 27  m. 


Non-Stop 


Non-stop 


Broken  induction 
pipe,  20  min. 


3     stops,     inlet    Stopped       on 

valve,   3  min.  ;       Fromes  Hill 

missed       gear. 

Stopped     on 

Fromes  Hill 
Non-stop  .       .    Non-stop  . 


Non-stop  . 
Non-stop  . 


Non-stop 


Dropped  Obser- 
ver on  upper 
part  of  Fromes 
Hill  without 
stopping 


Non-stop 


Stopped      and 
pushed  on  hill 


Carburetter  lever 
stuck,  1  min.  ; 
broken  water 
connection,  2-5 
min. 

2  stops,  2  min. 
each,  to  clean 
commutator, 
several  stops  on 
a  hill 

Non-stop  . 

Non-stop   . 


Pushed    up   hill, 
1  stop 


Non-Stop   . 

Missed  gear 
Non-stop  . 
Non-stop   . 


APPENDIX 


331 


ROAD   PERFORMANCES 

WEDNESDAY.  THURSDAY. 


FRIDAY. 


SATURDAY. 


Afternoon. 


1  ignition  stop, 
2  m. ,  1  on  hill, 
1  for  tyres,  9  m. 


Stopped  on  hill 
near  Chase  Inn 

1  stop  of  S  m. 
ignition 


Dirty  plug,  7  m, 


Nonstop 


6  stops :  1  re- 
plen.  water,  1 
tyres,  1  exam- 
ination, 3  on 
hills 

Stopped,  drop- 
ped passengers 
and  pushed  to 
start  on  hill 
nearChaseInn 

Non-stop 


Non-stop 

1  stop  on  hill, 
slipping  clutch 


Driver  and  Ob- 
server dropped 
on  hill  near 
Bromyard 

Dropped  Ob- 
server on  hill 
near  Bromyard 


Non-stop 


1  stop,  2^^  min., 
broken  plug- 
wire 

Non-Stop 


Morning. 


Afternoon. 


Non-stop 


Non-stop 


Broke  exhaust 
pipe  flange 
and  retired 

5  stops,  leaking 
petrol  tank  and 
connections, 
1  h.  5  m. 
Broke  connect- 
ing rod  4  miles 
out     and    re 
tired 


8  stops,  1  hr.  ; 
ignition, tyres, 
refill  water 
tank,  stop  on 
hill,  compres- 
sion cap,  etc. 

Non-stop 


1  stop,  45  sec, 
air  rod  fouled 


Non-stop 
Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 
Non-stop 
Non-stop 


Non-stop 


Non-stop 


Non-stop 


1  stop  for  water 
and  to  pump 
tyre,  6  min. 


1  stop,  7  min., 
broken  petrol 
pipe 


1  stop,  Sj  min. 
on  hill 


Non-stop 
Non-stop 

Non-stop 


1  stop,  6  min., 
ignition,  and 
dirt  in  carbu- 
retter 

27  min.  before 
start ;  1  stop, 
3  min.,  coil 

Non-stop 


Non-stop 


Morning. 


Engine  stopped 
on  hill 


Non-stop 


Afternoon. 


Non-stop 


Ignition  17  m.; 
4  stops  on  hill; 
petrol  connec- 
tion broke  and 
car  retired 

Non-stop 


Ignition  trouble 
and  retired 


1  stop,  broken 
water  pipe 
and  exhaust 
pipe,  30  m. 


1  stop,  broken 
exhaust  pipe 
18  m. 


Non-stop 


Non-stop 


Morning.  Afternoon 


1  stop,  IS  m., 
water  connec- 
tions 


Non-stop 


Non-stop 


Non-stop 


Non-stop 


1  stop,  30  m., 
broken  induc- 
tion pipe 


Non-stop 
Non-stop 

Non-stop 


1  stop  on  hill 
near  Chase  Inn 


Non-stop 


1  stop,  2 J  min., 
ignition;3stops 
on  hill 
Non-stop 


Non-stop 
Non-stop 


1  stop,  10  min. 
broken  inlet 
valve ;  1  stop 
on  hill 

Non-Stop 


Non-stop 
Non-stop 
Non-stop 


Non-stop 


1  stop,  3  min. 
ignition 


Non-stop 
Non-stop 


1  stop,  li  min., 
adjust  carbu- 
retter; passen- 
ger dismounted 
on  hill 
Non-stop 


Non-stop 
Non-Stop 
Non-stop 


Non-stop 
Non-stop 


Dropped    pas- 
senger on  hill 


1  stop,  5  min., 
broken  petrol 
pipe 


Non-stop 


1  stop,  50  sec. 

inlet  valve 

stuck 
Non-stop 


332 

THE 

COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

TABLE    IL— RECORD   OF 

MONDAY. 

TOESDAY.                       WEDNESDAY. 

d 

Description. 

Morning. 

Afternoon. 

Morning. 

Afternoon. 

Morning. 

Cl^ ASS  C  (CO fit) 

17 

AlldaysNo.  1(C) 

Non-Stop  . 

Non-stop  . 

1  stop  on  Fromes 
Hill 

Dropped  passen- 
ger on  Fromes 
Hill ;      2     tyre 
stops,  54  min. 

Non-stop  . 

IS 

C  h.p.  Siddeley  . 

Non-stop  . 

Non-stop  . 

Non-stop  . 

Non-stop  . 

Non-stop  . 

19 

7  h.p.  Downshire 

Clutch       fork 
broke  ;    retired 
at  Ludlow 

20 

6  h.p.   Wolseley 
(D) 

7  h.p.  Clyde 

Non-stop  . 

Non-stop  . 

Non-stop  . 

Non-stop  . 

Non-stop  . 

21 

1  stop,  85  min., 

1  stop,  IJ  min., 

Engine   stopped 

3  stops  on  Fromes 

Non-stop   . 

tyre  trouble 

inlet  valve  stock 

twice  on  Fromes 
Hill    and    once 

Hill    on    timed 
part     (dropped 
passengers) 

besides,  _      and 

once  for  ignition 

CLASS  D. 

22 

Oh.p.  DeDion(E) 

Non-stop  . 

Non-Stop  . 

Non-stop  . 

Non-stop  . 

Non-stop   . 

23 

6h.p.  DeDion(E) 

Non-stop  . 

Non-stop  . 

Non-stop  . 

Non-stop  . 

Non-stop   . 

24 

8  h.p.  Mobile     . 

Non-stop  . 

Non-stop  . 

1  stop  to  pull  nail 
out  of  tyre;  2 
passengers 
alighted      on 
Fromes     Hill 
without  stop- 
ping car 

1  stop  for  pump 
caught  in  apron, 
dropped  2  pas- 
sengerson  upper 
part  of  Fromes 
Hill       without 
stop 

Stopped    on    hill 
and    dropped' 
passenger 

25 

9h.p.  Oldsmobile 

Non-stop  . 

Non-stop  . 

Broken  chain,  54 
min. 

Non-stop   . 

Non-stop     . 

2ti 

7h.p.2.cyl.  Swift 

Non-stop  . 

Non-stop  . 

Non-Stop  . 

1  momentarystop 
on  ahill,missed 

Non-stop    . 

27 

8  h.p.  Royal 

7  stops,  72  min., 

1  stop,  puncture 

1   stop,     broken 

gear 
Non-stop   . 

1     stop,     clutch, 

Enfield 

water    pipes 
broken  and  ig- 
nition 

wire 

3  min.;  1  to  fill 
water  tank,  9 
min. ;  1  for  ig- 
nition, 1  min. 

2S 

8-9  Cadillac       . 

Non-Stop  . 

Non-Stop  . 

Gear  seized  ;  car 
retired  at  Brom- 
yard 

~ 

29 

lOb.h.p.  Chriton 

Absent 



. — 



— 

30 

8  h.p.  Croxted   . 

Non-stop  . 

Non-stop  . 

Non-stop  . 

Non-stop  . 

Non-stop  . 

31 

9  h.p.  Anglian   . 

Non-stop  . 

Non-stop  . 

Stopped     and 
dropped  2  pas- 
sengers       on 
Fromes     Hill ; 
dropped  1  pas- 
senger     on     2 
other  hills,  2  on 
a  third 

Pushed        up 
Fromes      Hill, 
all    passengers 
out 

Stopped  and 
dropped  passen- 
ger on  hill 

32 

Alldays  No.  3  (C) 

1  stop,  puncture 

1     stop,     tyre 
trouble 

Non-stop  . 

Non-stop  . 

Non-stop    . 

33 

8  h.p.  Rover 

Non-stop  . 

Non-stop  . 

Non-stop  . 

Broke  half-speed 
shaft-wheel  and 
retired 

34 

7i  h.p.  Huraber- 
ette 

Non-stop  . 

8   stops,    -   want 
of  petrol,  1  car- 
buretter trouble 
8  min. 

Non-stop  . 

Non-stop  . 

Non-stop   . 

35 

6  h.p._  Belsize 
Junior 

Absent 

— 

— 

— 

— 

3(5 

8  h.p.  Simms 

Absent 

— 

— 

— 

— 

37 

S  h.p.  Prosper- 
Lambert 

Non-Stop  . 

Non-stop  . 

Non-stop  . 

2  stops  on  Fromes 
Hill    and    pas- 
senger dropped 

Non-stop   . 

3S 

7  h.p.  Little  Star 

Non-stop  . 

Non-stop  . 

Non-stop  . 

Non-stop  . 

Non-stop  . 

(B) 

The  Non-stops  in  heavy  type  are  eligible  for  Non-stop 
A  A,  B  B,  C  C,  D  D, 


APPENDIX 


333 


ROAD    PERFORMANCES 


WEDNESDAY. 

THURSDAY. 

FRIDAY. 

SATURDAY. 

Afternoon. 

Morning. 

Afternoon. 

Morning. 

1      Afternoon. 

1 

Morning. 

Afternoon. 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

1  stop,  2  min., 
to    screw    up 

Non-stop 

\ 

inlet  pipe 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-Stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-Stop 

Non-stop 

Stopped  on  hill 

Non-stop 

1  stop,  !'  min., 

1  stop,  10  min.; 

1  stop,  30  sec. 

Xon-stop 

Non-stop 

near      Brom- 

to replace  key 

1  stop,  17  min.. 

compression 

yard 

in  inlet  valve 

broken   inlet 
valve 

tap  jarred 
open  ;  passen- 
ger dismount- 
ed on  hill 

Non-Stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-Stop 

Non-stop 

Non-Stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Nonstop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

1  stop,  Ih.  l.^m. , 
needle  valve  in 
carburetter 
stuck 

Non-8top 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

•2  stops  on  hill 
and   dropped 
2  passengers 

"on-stop 

1  stop,  8  min., 
broken  inlet 
valve 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

1  stop  44  min. , 
exhaust  valve 
trouble 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

1  stop,  37  min., 
both    inlet 
valves  stuck 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Broke  oil  pipe 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— ■ 

— 

for  cylinder 

lubrication 

and  retired 





. 







Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-Stop 

Non-stop 

Non-Stop 

Non-stop 

Tyre  trouble  30 

Tyre    trouble. 

Non-stop 

2  stops  on  hill 

1  stop,  4A  min., 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

min.,     driver 

1  hr.  40  min. 

and    dropped 

broken  dumb 

dismounted 

two  passengers 

iron ;  dropped 

on    hill    near 

3    passengers 

Chase  Inn 

on  one  hill  and 
1  on  another 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

3    stops     for 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

1  stop,  IS  min., 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

broken    inlet 

inlet  valve  cap 

valve  cap,  '2i 

broken 

min. 

1  stop,  short  of 

Non-stop 

1  stop,  3i  min.. 

Non-stop 

Non-stop 

Non-Stop 

Non-stop 

petrol,  through 

loose  screw 

tap  being  shut 

cap  on  air  in- 
let valve 

Awards.     Heavy  type  ceases  when  car  becomes  ineligible. 
E  E,  ran  as  a  Team. 


334 


THE   COMPLETE    MOTORIST 


This  was  particularly  noticeable  with  regard  to  parts  of  tubular  frames, 
back  axles,  gear-box,  and  engine  connections.  Several  of  the  tubular 
frames  are  made  with  weak  lugs  carrying  the  underframe,  and  five  of  these 
lugs  broke  during  the  Trials. 

The  majority  of  live  back  axles  differ  little  in  design,  except  that  some 
have  trussing  stays  to  the  bevel  gear-box,  whilst  others  leave  the  somewhat 
heavy  weight  in  the  middle  of  the  axle  insufficiently  supported.  The  bevel 
gear-box  of  some  axles  is  conveniently  arranged  to  permit  withdrawal  of 
the  bevel  pinion  without  dismantling  the  axle.  The  Wolseley,  Siddeley, 
and  Prosper- Lambert  cars  carry  the  back  wheels  on  extensions  of  the 
tubular  part  of  the  axle,  thus  relieving  the  differential  axle  of  all  weight 
and  all  stress  other  than  that  of  torsion— a  construction  to  be  commended. 

In  more  than  one  instance  it  was  found  that  the  axles  were  neither 
parallel  nor  at  right  angles  to  the  frame,  nor  did  the  front  wheels  track 
with  the  hind  wheels.  Although  no  appreciable  difference  in  the  wear  of 
the  tyres  was  noticed  at  the  end  of  the  620  miles  of  running,  the  result  of 
improper  alignment  of  axles  cannot  but  have  a  detrimental  effect  on  the 
life  of  some  or  all  of  the  tyres. 

In  the  construction  and  arrangement  of  brakes  great  improvement  is 
shown.  The  side  brakes  on  a  few  cars  are  effectively  compensated,  but 
in  others,  where  wire  rope  with  sharp  bends  is  used,  the  intended  com- 
pensation is  not  effective.  In  several  cases  the  absence  of  a  flange  on  the 
inside  of  the  brake  drum  permits  the  band  to  wander  from  its  place. 

The  foot  brakes  are  generally  effective,  but  several,  when  applied,  tend 
to  displace  and  strain  the  gear-box  shaft,  causing  unnecessary  wear  of  the 
bearings.  Adjustments  of  some  kind,  though  not  always  accessible,  are 
provided  on  all  cars.  The  foot  brake  on  the  De  Dion  cars  is  notably  easy 
to  adjust,  and  two  or  three  cars  have  right  and  left-handed  shackles  for 
ready  adjustment. 

The  order  of  merit  of  the  cars  in  respect  of  their  brakes,  as  shown  by 
the  tests  on  hills,  is  given  in  Table  III.  This  does  not  take  into  consider- 
ation the  design  or  construction  of  the  brakes,  but  only  their  performance 
when  tested  unexpectedly  towards  the  end  of  the  Trials. 


TABLE   IIL— BRAKES 


ORDER   OF   MERIT 


First  Grade 
No.  12.     8  h.p.  Brown. 
,,    22.     6  h.p.  De  Dion  (E). 
„    23.         „  „         (E). 

„    25.     9h.p.  Oldsmobile. 

Second  Grade 
No.  14.     7  h.p.  one-cylinder  Swift. 
„    15.     7  h.p.  Litlle  Star  (B). 
„    17.     7  h.p.  AUdays  (C). 
,,    2ij.     7  h.p.  two-cylinder  Swift. 
„    32.     7  h.p.  AUdays  (C). 

Third  Grade 
No.  13.     9  h.p.  Speedwell. 
„    18.     6  h.p.  Siddeley. 

Fourth  Grade 
No.    8.     0  h.p.  Pelham. 
„    37.     S  h.p.  Prosper-Lambert. 
„    38.     7  h.p.  Little  Star  (B). 

A  A,  B  B,  C  C,  D  D,  E  E, 


No.    1. 
„    11. 

..    20. 

„    24. 


No.  2. 
,,  4. 
,.  10. 
„  10. 
„     34. 


No.  21. 


No. 


30. 
„    31. 
ran  as  a 


Fifth  Grade 

0  h.p.  Jackson  Dog-cart  (A). 

6  h.p.  Mobile. 

6  h.p.  Wolseley  (D). 

8  h.p.  Mobile. 

Sixth  Grade 

6  h.p.  Speedwell. 

6  h.p.  Jackson  Dog-cart  (A). 

6  h.p.  Wolseley  (D). 
6 J  h.p.  Humberette. 
7j  h.p.  Humberette. 

Seventh  Grade 

7  h.p.  Clyde. 

Eighth  Grade 

8  h.p.  Croxted. 
0  h.p.  Anglian. 
Team. 


A  remarkable  improvement  is  shown  in  the  carriage  springs  and  body 
suspension,  and  the  seating  and  footboard  accommodation  is  less  cramped 
than  hitherto.  Some  of  the  leading  dimensions  of  the  competing  vehicles 
and  particulars  of  the  distribution  of  weights  are  given  in  Table  IV. 


APPENDIX 


335 


1  = 

2  ° 

CM 

^1 

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336 


THE    COMPLETE    MOTORIST 


Many  cars  have  steering  gear  of  the  rack-and-pinion  type,  with  the  rack 
not  protected  in  any  way  from  the  ingress  of  dust  and  mud.  All  these 
show  signs  of  considerable  wear,  and  some  were  nearly  worn  out.  The 
steering  gear  is  in  several  cases  poorly  attached  to  the  frame  by  a  single 
bracket  flange.  With  a  steering  rack  some  distance  below,  not  stayed  in 
any  effective  way  to  take  the  thrust,  a  twisting  strain  is  thrown  on  the 
bracket,  and  causes  looseness.  Pins  in  the  links  of  the  steering  gear 
frequently  have  small  wearing  surfaces,  which  give  rise  to  backlash  and 
rattling,  but  on  the  whole  there  is  a  general  improvement  in  the  design 
and  construction  of  steering  gears. 

The  number  of  tyre  troubles  was  exceedingly  small,  as  might  be  ex- 
pected considering  the  light  weight  of  the  cars,  but  it  must  be  noted  that 
the  road  surfaces  were  exceedingly  good. 

Twenty-two  of  the  engines  which  completed  the  Trials  were  vertical  and 
four  horizontal.  Many  of  the  vertical  engines  have  their  commutators 
placed  in  inaccessible  positions  close  to  the  front  or  side  of  the  frame.  In 
the  two-cylinder  H umber,  No.  34,  bevel  gears  are  used  to  bring  the  com- 
mutator into  an  easily  accessible  position  ;  in  others,  the  entire  commutator 
is  designed  for  easy  detachment.  It  was  noted  that  the  horizontal  engine 
designs  lend  themselves  to  convenient  arrangements  in  this  respect. 

One  of  the  most  frequent  causes  of  stoppage  was  defective  junctions  in 
pipework.  Rubber  connections  on  water  pipes  are  often  too  short,  and  the 
edges  of  the  pipe  ends,  aided  by  vibration,  cut  through  the  rubber.  Petrol 
and  oil  pipes  frequently  broke  off  at  the  terminal  collars  or  unions,  owing 
to  neglect  to  anneal  after  brazing,  and  to  the  vibration  of  long  unsupported 
lengths  of  pipe.  Slack-fitting  coarse-threaded  unions,  which  came  un- 
screwed, were  numerous.  Water  pipes  attached  to  tanks  without  a  flange, 
riveted  as  well  as  soldered,  in  several  cases  came  adrift.  The  use  of  brass 
flanges  on  exhaust  pipe  connections  caused  trouble,  and  is  to  be  deprecated. 
The  petrol  tanks  on  some  cars  are  inadequate  for  ordinary  requirements, 
and  a  few  are  placed  too  low  to  feed  the  carburetter  on  steep  hills. 

Except  for  broken  pipes,  no  trouble  arose  through  insufficient  lubrication. 
A  few  cars  are  fitted  with  ring  lubricated  bearings,  a  feature  which  might 
with  advantage  be  more  generally  adopted. 

The  number  of  stoppages  on  the  road  caused  by  defects  in  inlet  valves 
shows  the  need  of  attention  to  proper  design  of  the  cottars  and  the  fittings 
at  the  end  of  the  stem. 

There  was  marked  superiority  in  the  cleanliness  of  those  cars  provided 

with  good  aprons  or  undercas- 
ings.  One  badly -fitting  apron, 
however,  caused  trouble,  and 
several  aprons,  leaving  large  open 
spaces,  were  ineffective. 

Bowden  wires  are  used  in  a 
few  cases  for  throttle  and  spark 
connections,  and  proved  unsuit- 
able. 

The  construction  of  clutches 
as  to  adjustment  and  end  thrust 
shows  considerable  improvement, 
especially  in  some  cars  of  British 
design  and  make. 

The  electric  wiring  on  most  of 
the  cars  has  received  more  at- 
tention than  was  usual  a  year 
ago,  but  still  leaves  much  to  be 


APPENDIX 


337 


desired.  The  two-cylinder  Humber  and  the  De  Dions  in  particular,  and 
also  the  Swifts,  the  Mobiles,  the  Wolseleys,  and  the  Siddeley,  have  taken 
special  pains  to  avoid  loose  wires,  with  their  consequent  liability  to  break- 
age, more  particularly  in  the  case  of  the  heavy  high-tension  leads.  Ter- 
minals on  British-designed  cars  were  notably  better  considered  than  those 
on  the  usual  foreign  type. 

The  consumption  of  petrol,  as  seen  from  the  accompanying  Tables  V. 
and  VI.,  varied  considerably,  the  best  performance  being  remarkable,  and 
the  average  highly  creditable. 


TABLE   v.— PETROL   CONSUMPTION    PER   CAR   MILE 

ORDER    OF    MERIT 


No. 

Description. 

Total  quantity  for 
the  620  miles  run. 

No.  of 
pass'ng'rs. 

Total  weight 

loaded  (list. 

per  pass.). 

Car-miles 
per  gallon. 

gals.    pts. 

lbs. 

21 

7  h.p.  Clyde                  ... 

13         1 

2 

1414 

47-2 

14 

7  h.p.  one-cylinder  Swift 

16        0 

2 

1512 

38-8 

18 

6  h.p.  Siddeley 

16         1 

2 

1603 

38.5 

16 

6i  h.p.  Royal  Humberette 

10        3 

2 

1407 

37-9 

32 

7'h.p.  Alldays(C) 

18        0 

3 

1710 

34-5 

/17 
\30 

7h.p.  Alldays(C) 

18        5 

2 

1533 

33 '3 

8  h.p.  Croxted 

18         5 

2 

1848 

33-3 

12 

8  h.p.  Brown 

19        6 

2 

1904 

31-4 

/22 

f)  h.p.  De  Dion  (E)      . 

20        4 

2 

1414 

30-3 

(.23 

(ih.p.  De  Dion(E)      . 

20        4 

2 

1414 

30-3 

15 

7  h.p.  Little  Star  (B)  . 

21         0 

2 

1694 

29-5 

1 

I'l  h.p.  Jackson  Dog-cart  (A). 

21         6 

2 

1330 

28-5 

10 

0  h.p.  Wolseley  (D)     . 

21        7 

2 

1596 

28-3 

37 

Sh.p.  Prosper-Lambert 

23        5 

2 

1890 

27-2 

2 

6  h.p.  Speedwell 

24        0 

2 

1309 

25-8 

38 

7  h.p.  Little  Star  (B)  . 

24         3 

3 

1904 

25-4 

11 

6  h.p.  Mobile 

24         4 

2 

1582 

25-3 

20 

6  h.p.  Wolseley  (D)      . 

25         1 

2 

1554 

24-6 

4 

0  h.p.  Jackson  Dog-cart  (A) 

25         3 

2 

1428 

24-4 

13 

9  h.p.  Speedwell 

25         6 

2 

1547 

24-1 

26 

7  h.p.  two-cylinder  Swift 

26        2 

2 

1610 

23-6 

8 

6  h.p.  Pelham 

26        5 

2 

1638 

23-3 

31 

9  h.p.  Anglian 

30        7 

3 

1862 

20-1 

24 

8  h.p.  Mobile 

33        6 

4 

2093 

18-4 

34 

7h  h.p.  Royal  Humberette 

36        6 

2 

1722 

16-9 

25 

9"h.p.  Oldsmobile 

39         7 

3 

2394 

15-6 

TABLE   VI.— PETROL   CONSUMPTION    PER   TON    MILE 


ORDER   OF   MERIT 


No. 

21. 
/18. 
\30. 

12. 
fl4. 
\32. 

16. 

17. 
il5. 
\37. 

38. 

10. 

22. 


7  h.p.  Clyde. 

6  h.p.  Siddeley 

8  h.p.  Cro.xted 
S  h.p.  Brown 

7  h.p.  one-cylinder  Swift 
7  h.p.  Alldays(C) 

6|  h.p.  Royal  Humberette 
7  h.p.  Alldays  (C) 

7  h.p.  Little  Star  (B)    . 

8  h.p.  Prosper-Lambert 
7  h.p.  Little  Star  (B)  . 
u  h.p.  Wolseley  (D) 

f.  h.p.  De  Dion  (E) 


Gals,  per 

ton  mile. 

No. 

.     -033 

23. 

■036 

11. 

•036 

(20. 

•037 

124. 

•038 

1. 

•038 

■     8. 

•042 

26. 

•044 

13. 

•045 

■  25. 

•045 

.31. 

•046 

4. 

.     -050 

2. 

.      -052 

34. 

6  h.p.  De  Dion  (E) 

6  h.p.  Mobile 

6  h.p.  Wolseley  (D) 

8  h.p.  Mobile 
6  h.p.  Jackson  Dog-cart  (A) 

6  h.p.  Pelham 

7  h.p.  two-cylinder  Swift 

9  h.p.  Speedwell  . 
[25.     'Ih.p.  Oldsmobile 

9  h.p.  Anglian 

6  h.p.  Jackson  Dog-cart  (A 

(>  h.p.  Speedwell   . 

7 J  h.p.  Royal  Humberette 


Gals,  per 

ton  mile. 
•052 
•056 
•058 
•058 
•059 
•059 
•059 
•060 
■060 
•060 
■064 
■066 
•077 


A  A,  B  B,  C  C,  D  D,  E  E,  ran  as  a  Team. 


338 


THE   COMPLETE    MOTORIST 


The  water  consumption  on  the  majority  of  the  cars  are  negligible — no 
less  than  fourteen  of  them  requiring  less  than  i^  gallons,  although  the 
country  traversed  was  exceptionally  hilly. 

Tables  VII.,  VIII.,  IX.,  and  X.  show  the  order  of  merit  of  the  cars  in 
regard  to  \'ibration,  Noise,  Ease  of  Manipulation,  and  Comfort  of  Passengers 
respectively. 

Table  XI.  shows  the  hill-climbing  performances  of  the  various  cars  on 
the  timed  hills,  and  Table  XI.  gives  their  order  of  merit  considered  with 
reference  to  speed  on  hills  and  hill-climbing  performance  generally.  Table 
XII.  also  gives  the  calculated  power  developed  on  the  driving  wheels,  taking 
60  lbs.  per  ton  as  the  tractive  effort  or  draw-bar  pull.  This  figure  was  arrived 
at  by  experiments  carried  out  on  Fromes  Hill  a  few  days  prior  to  the  Trials. 
These  experiments  also  showed  that  the  starting  effort  required  on  the 
steepest  portion  (gradient  i  in  6-25)  was  about  600  lbs.  per  ton. 

TABLE   VII.— VIBRATION 


ORDER   OF   MERIT 


First  Grade 
No.  20.     7  h.p.  two-cylinder  Swift. 

Second  Grade 
No.  IS.     Oh.p.  Siddeley. 

Third  Grade 
No.     1.     <i  h.p.  Jackson  Dog-cart  (A). 
„     14.     7  h.p.  one-cylinder  Swift. 
„     17.     7  h.p.  Alldays(C). 
,,    20.     (ih.p.  Wolseley  (D). 

Fourth  Grade 

No.  10.  0  h.p.  Wolseley  (D). 

„    12.  8  h.p.  Brown. 

„    2.5.  9  h.p.  Oldsmobile. 

„    30.  Sh.p.  Croxted. 

„    31.  0  h.p.  Ansjlian. 

„    32.  7  h.p.  Alfdays  (C). 

„    34.  7i  h.p.  Royal  Humberette. 


Fifth  Grade 

No 

0 

0  h.p.  Speedwell. 

11 

(i  h.p.  Mobile. 

13 

0  h.p.  Speedwell. 

1.5 

7  h.p.  Little  Star  (B). 

1(5 

6h  h.p.  Royal  Humberette. 

22 

O'h.p.  De  Dion  (E). 

23 

ijh.p.  De  Dion  (E). 

24 

S  h.p.  Mobile. 

37 

8  h.p.  Prosper- Lambert. 
Sixth  Grade 

No. 

8 

C  h.p.  Pelham. 

" 

38 

7  h.p.  Little  Star  (B). 
Seventh  Grade 

No. 

4 

ti  h.p.  Jackson  Dog-cart  (A). 

„ 

21 

7  h.p.  Clyde. 

TABLE   VIII.— NOISE 


ORDER    OF    MERIT 


No.  2i5. 


No.  14. 

16. 

»    32. 

„    34. 


First  Grade 
7  h.p.  two-cylinder  Swift. 

Second  Grade 
7  h.p.  Alidays(C). 
9  h.p.  Oldsmobile. 

Third  Grade 
7  h.p.  one-cylinder  Swift. 
6^  h.p.  Royal  Humberette. 
7"h.p.  Alldays(C). 
7j  h.p.  Royal  Humberette. 


Fourth  Grade 
No.  10.     6  h.p.  Wolseley  (D). 
,,    12.     8  h.p.  Brown. 

Fifth  Grade 
No.    1.     0  h.p.  Jackson  Dog-cart  (A). 
„      2.     0  h.p.  Speedwell. 
„    11.     li  h.p.  Mobile. 


Fifth  Grade — continued 

No.  13.  9  h.p.  Speedwell. 

„    1.5.  7  h.p.  Little  Star  (B). 

„    IS.  6  h.p.  Siddeley. 

„    22.  ti  h.p.  De  Dion  (E). 

„    23.  0  h.p.  De  Dion  (E). 

„    24.  8  h.p.  Mobile. 

„    30.  S  h.p.  Croxted. 

„    31.  9  h.p.  Anglian. 

„    38.  7  h.p.  Little  Star  (B). 

Sixth  Grade 
No.  20.     G  h.p.  Wolseley  (D). 

Seventh  Grade 
No.    4.     6  h.p.  Jackson  Dog-cart  (A). 
,,    21.     7  h.p.  Clyde. 
,,37.     8  h.p.  Prosper-Lambert. 

Eighth  Grade 
No.    8.     6  h.p.  Pelham. 


A  A,  B  B,  C  C,  D  D,  E  E  ran  as  a  Team. 


APPENDIX 


339 


TABLE    IX.— EASE   OF   MANIPULATION 


ORDER    OF    MERIT 


First  Grade 

No.  10.  li  h.p.  Wolseley  (D). 

,,    12.  S  h.p.  Brown. 

„    14.  7  h.p.  one-cylinder  Swift. 

„    IS.  a  h.p.  Siddeley. 

„    20.  0  h.p.  Wolseley  (D). 

„    25.  i>  h.p.  Oldsmobile. 

,,    20.  7  h.p.  two-cj'linder  Swift. 

Second  Grade 

No.  1.  6  h.p.  Jackson  Dog-cart  (A). 

„     2.  I)  h.p.  Speedwell. 

„     4.  (i  h.p.  Jackson  Dog-cart  (A). 

„     8.  (5  h.p.  Pelham. 

„  11.  (i  h.p.  Mobile. 

„  13.  9  h.p.  Speedwell. 

„  15.  7  h.p.  Little  Star  (B). 

„  17.  7  h.p.  Alldays(C). 


Second  Grade — coniimied 
No.  24.     S  h.p.  Mobile. 
,,  31.     9  h.p.  AnE;lian. 
„  32.     7  h.p.  Alldays(C). 
,,  34.     7A  h.p.  Royal  Humberette. 
,,  37.     8  h.p.  Prosper-Lambert. 

Third  Grade 
No.  22.     6  h.p.  De  Dion  (E). 
„    23.     6  h.p.  De  Dion  (E). 
„    30.     S  h.p.  Croxled. 
,,    38.     7  h.p.  Little  Star  (B). 

Fourth  Grade 
No.  16.     6i  h.p.  Royal  Humberette. 

Fifth  Grade 
No.  21.     7  h.p.  Clyde. 


TABLE  X.— COMFORT   OF   PASSENGERS 


ORDER   OF   MERIT 


First  Grade 
No.  14.     7  h.p.  one-cylinder  Swift. 
,,    2tj.     7  h.p.  two-cylinder  Swift. 

Second  Grade 
No.  IS.     6  h.p.  Siddeley. 

Third  Grade 

No.  10.  6  h.p.  Wolseley  (D). 

„     11.  6  h.p.  Mobile. 

„     17.  7h.p.  Alldays(C). 

„     20.  Li  h.p.  Wolseley  (D). 

„     21.  7  h.p.  Clyde. 

„     24.  Sh.p.  Mobile. 

„     30.  8  h.p.  Cro.vted. 

„     32.  7h.p.  Alldays(C). 

Fourth  Grade 
No.     22.     6h.p.  DeDion(E). 
„     23.     0  h.p.  De  Dion  (E). 


Fourth  Grade — continued 
No.  25.     0  h.p.  Oldsmobile. 
,,     34.     7i  h.p.  Royal  Humberette. 
,,     37.     S  h.p.  Prosper-Lambert. 

Fifth  Grade 

No.     1.  6  h.p.  Jackson  Dog-cart  (A). 

2.  li  h.p.  Speedwell. 

4.  6  h.p.  Jackson  Dog-cart  (A). 

12.  8  h.p.  Brown. 

13.  9  h.p.  Speedwell. 
15.  7  h.p.  Little  Star  (B). 
31.  9  h.p.  Anglian. 

Sixth  Grade 
No.     S.     6  h.p.  Pelham. 
„     38.     7  h.p.  Little  Star  (B). 

Seventh  Grade 
No.  1(5.     65  h.p.  Royal  Humberette. 


TABLE   XL— HILL    CLIMBING 


ORDER   OF   MERIT 


Position 

.     No. 

Position. 

1 

.     10     . 

.     6  h.p.  Wolseley  (D). 

14     . 

2 

.     22     . 

.     6  h.p.  De  Dion  (E). 

15      . 

3 

.     14     . 

.     7  h.p.  one-cylinder  Swift. 

16      . 

4 

.     15     . 

.     7  h.p.  Little  Star  (B). 

17     . 

5 

.     IS     . 

.     6  h.p.  Siddeley. 

IS     . 

6 

.     20     . 

.     6  h.p  Wolseley  (D). 

19      . 

7 

.     26     . 

.     7  h.p.  two-cylinder  Swift. 

20     . 

8 

.     30     . 

.     8  h.p.  Cro.vted. 

21     . 

9 

.     88     . 

.     7  h.p.  Little  Star  (B). 

22 

10 

.     23     . 

.     6  h.  p.  De  Dion  (B). 

23     . 

11 

.     32     . 

.     7  h.p.  Alldays  (C). 

24     . 

12 

.     25     . 

.     9  h.p.  Oldsmobile. 

25 

13 

.     34     . 

7j  h.p.  Royal  Humberette. 

26     . 

No. 
24 
16 
13 
17 
31 
37 
11 

8 
12 

2 

1 
21 

4 


5  h.p.  Mobile. 

65  h.p.  Royal  Humberette. 
9  h.p.  Speedwell. 

7  h.p.  Alldays  (C). 
9  h.p.  Anglian. 

8  h.p.  Prosper-Lambert. 

6  h.p.  Mobile. 
6  h.p.  Pelham. 
8  h.p.  Brown. 

6  h.p.  Speedwell. 

6  h.p.  Jackson  Dog-cart(A). 

7  h.p.  Clyde. 

0  h.p.  Jackson  Dog-cart(A). 


A  A,  BB,  CC,  DD,  EE  ran  as  a  Team. 


340 


THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 


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*     *                  *     *                  * 

APPENDIX  341 

AWARDS 

The  Judges  recommend  to  the  Club  Committee  the  following  awards  : — 
NON-STOP  AWARDS  (Resulting  Automatically  under  the  Rules) 

Class  A. — First  Award  :  The  6  h.p.  Speedwell,  No.  2  (7  Non-stop  runs).  No 
second  award. 

Class  B. — No  car  eligible. 

Class  C. — First  Award:  The  6  h.p.  Siddeley,  No.  18  (12  Non-stop  runs, 
highest  possible).  Second  Award:  The  6  h.p.  Light  Wolseley  team,  Nos.  20 
and  10  (12,  highest  possible,  and  II  Non-stop  runs  respectively).  Third  Award: 
The  64  h.p.  Humberette,  No.  16  (11  Non-stop  runs).  Fourth  Award:  The 
AUdays,  No.  17,  one  of  team  (9I  Non-stop  runs).*  Fifth  Award:  The  7  h.p. 
Little  Star,  No.  15,  one  of  team  (9  Non-stop  runs).*  Sixth  Award  :  The  6  h.p. 
Mobile,  No.  11  (8  Non-stop  runs).  Seventh  Award:  The  9  h.p.  Speedwell, 
No.  13  (6  Non-stop  runs).  JEighth  Award  :  The  8  h.p.  Brown,  No.  12  (5  Non- 
stop runs). 

Class  D. — First  Award:  The  8  h.p.  Croxted,  No.  30  (12  Non-stop  runs, 
highest  possible).  Second  Award  :  The  7^  h.p.  Humberette,  No.  34  (11  Non-stop 
runs).  Third  Award:  The  7  h.p.  Alldays,  No.  32,  one  of  team  (g^  Non-stop 
runs).*  Fourth  Award  :  The  7  h.p.  Little  Star,  No.  38,  one  of  team  (9  Non-stop 
runs).*  Fifth  Award:  The  8  h.p.  Mobile,  No.  24  (7  Non-stop  runs).  Sixtn 
Award  :  The  9  h.p.  Anglian,  No.  31  (5  Non-stop  runs). 

The  following  cars,  which  completed  the  whole  of  the  distance,  though 
ineligible  for  the  Non-stop  awards,  are  worthy  of  special  mention  : — 

Very  Highly  Commended. — The  team  of  6  h.p.  De  Dion  Bouton  cars.  Class  D, 
Nos.  22  (12  Non-stop  runs,  highest  possible)  and  23  (11  Non-stop  runs). 

Highly  Commended. — The  7  h.p.  One-cyhnder  Swift,  Class  C,  No.  14  (10  Non- 
stop runs).     The  7  h.p.  Two-cylinder  Swift,  Class  D,  No,  26  (10  Non-stop  runs). 

MEDALS 

The  Judges  recommend  the  award  of  the  following  Medals  : — 

Gold  Medal. — To  the  Wolseley  Tool  and  Motor  Car  Co.,  Ltd.,  for  their  cars 
Nos.  10  and  20,  for  general  excellence  of  design,  construction,  and  workmanship, 
and  for  hill-climbing.  Gold  Medal. — To  the  Siddeley  Autocar  Co.,  for  their  car 
No.  18,  for  general  excellence  of  design,  construction,  and  workmanship,  and  for 
hill-climbing.  Gold  Medal. — To  the  Swift  Motor  Co.,  Ltd.,  for  their  cars  Nos.  14 
and  26,  for  general  excellence  of  construction  and  workmanship,  for  hill-climbing, 
and  for  smoothness  of  running.  Silver  Medal. — To  De  Dion  Bouton,  Ltd.,  for 
their  cars  Nos.  22  and  23,  for  excellence  of  workmanship,  for  consistent  running,  and 
for  hill-climbing.  Silver  Medal. — To  Ilumbers,  Limited,  for  their  two-cylinder 
car  No.  34  for  general  excellence  and  attention  to  detail.  Silver  Medal.— To 
Alldays  and  Onions  Co.,  Ltd.,  for  their  cars  Nos.  17  and  32,  for  general  construction, 
neatness  of  design,  and  smoothness  of  running.  Bronze  Medal. — To  the  Speedwell 
Motor  and  Engineering  Company,  Limited,  for  their  car  No.  2,  for  its  construction 
and  performance  considered  with  reference  to  price.  Bronze  Medal. — To  Brown 
Brothers,  Limited,  for  the  quality  and  construction  of  details  of  their  car  No.  12. 
Bronze  Medal. — To  the  Star  Engineering  Company,  for  their  cars  No.  15  and  38, 
for  hill-climbing  and  for  construction  with  reference  to  price.  Bronze  Medal. — To 
Jarrott  and  Letts,  Limited,  for  their  car  No.  25,  for  ease  of  manipulation  and  for 
details  of  construction.     Bronze  Medal.— To  the  Holland  Park  Motor  Company, 

*  Average  of  team  performance. 


342  THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 

for  the  design  and  construction  of  parts  of  their  car  No.  37.  Bronze  Medal. — To 
Messrs.  F.  W.  Garner  and  Co.,  for  their  two-seated  car  No.  30,  for  its  performance 
and  for  its  construction  considered  with  reference  to  price. 

Hon.  Mention. — To  the  Clyde  Cycle  and  Motor  Company,  for  low  petrol 
consumption  of  their  car  No.  21.  Hon.  Mention. — To  the  Mobile  Motor  and 
Engineering  Company,  for  their  car  No.  24,  for  its  general  performance  as  a  four- 
seated  vehicle. 

The  Trials  brought  together  a  large  number  of  cars  of  few  types.  On 
the  Nvhole  the  general  design  and  construction  of  the  cars  showed  much 
improvement  on  that  of  cars  of  the  same  capacity  in  previous  years,  and  the 
prices  are  all  lower.  The  performance  of  the  cars  generally  has  been 
remarkably  good.  The  Judges  are,  however,  of  opinion  that  a  greater 
distance  than  600  miles  is  necessary  to  bring  out  by  automatic  records  the 
qualities  of  the  cars  and  their  minor  but  important  details. 

They  also  draw  attention  to  the  fact  that  although  the  Non-stop  perform- 
ances provide  an  automatic  indication  of  some  of  the  qualities  of  the  cars 
and  drivers  combined,  the  important  matters  upon  which  the  ultimate 
durability,  j^erformance,  and  choice  depend  are  chiefly  shown  by  the 
examination  and  consideration  of  details  which  takes  place  after  the  Non- 
stop runs  have  been  completed,  and  which  has  on  this  occasion  determined 
the  distribution  of  the  medals. 

[G.  H.  BAILLIE. 

W.  WORBY  BEAUMONT. 
Judgesl  EDWARD  H.  COZENS-HARDY. 

ANTHONY  G.  NEW. 
VROBT.  E.  PHILLIPS. 


INDEX 


Accelerator  pedal,  the,  use  and  abuse 
of,  219 

Accessibility  of  parts  in  the  De  Dietrich 
car,  108 

Accessories,  essential  and  parasitic,  257- 
62,  the  fascination  of,  255,  dis- 
posal of,  in  the  car,  261-2 

Accidents,  watchfulness  the  only  pre- 
ventive of,  225 

Accumulator  of  the  Hutton  car,  129 

Accumulators,  duplicate  sets  essential, 
use  of  spare  sets  when  driving, 
239-40 

Ackermann  system  of  front  wheels,  30 
of  steering  motor-cars,  66 

"Airless  cord,"  in  the  Palmer  Cord 
Motor  Tyre,  247-8 

Alcohol  as  a  substitute  for  petrol,  298 

Amateur  motor-car  cleaner,  the,  advice 
to,  on  "  letting  well  alone,"  238 

America,  the  original  home  of  the 
Duryea  car,  119 

American  types  of  steam  cars,  the  two 
chief,  133,  135,  137 

Annual  average  mileage  of  small  and 
large  cars  in  constant  use,  241 

Arm-fixture,  to  prevent  side-slip,  253 

Austria,  motor  touring  in,  notes  on,  308 
roads  of,  excellent,  ib. 

Autocar,  The,  founded,  34,  high  stand- 
ing, 262-3,  support  given  by  to  the 
Light  Locomotives  Act,  263,  tables 
of  running  costs  of  10  h.p.  car  and 
of  car  and  horse  expenses  contrasted, 
given  in,  292,  295 

Automatic  Carburettor,  De  Dietrich  car, 
107 
mixture,    inadvisability    of    providing 
for,   in  small  engines,   202 

Automobile    Club,    the,    membership  of 
and  its  advantages,   262 
negotiations  of,   to   facilitate  Conti- 
nental touring,  304 
reliability   trials    of,    1903.,   success 
of  theOldsmobilesin,  199 

Automobile  Club,  value  of,  to  the  indus- 
try and  the  pastime,  40 


Automobile    Club  Journal,     The,    com- 
ments on,  268 
Automobile  Club  of   France,   evolution 

of,  33 
Automobile  papers  : — 
The  Autocar,  262 
The  Automobile  Club  Journal,  268 
The  Autoinotor  Journal,  264 
The  Car,  265-6 
The  Car  Magazine,  266 
The  Motor  (formerly  Motor  Cycling) 

267 
The  Motor  Car  Journal,  264-5 
The  Motor  Car  World,  268 
The  Motor  News,  268 
Motoring  Illustrated,  266-7 
Automobile    Racing,     the     delights    of, 

Charles  Jarrott  on,  letter,  280 
Autoinotor  Journal,   The,  chief  features 

of,  264 

Baby    Peugeot    light    motor-car,    fully 

described,  200 
Back-fire,  and  how  to  avoid  it,  215 
Back-running,  in  hill-climbing,   how   to 

avoid  and  how  to  deal  with,  218-19 
Ball-bearings  in  the  Hutton  car,  129 
Bands,      for     protecting     tyres     recom- 
mended, 246-7 
the  Wilkinson,  and  See  bands,  253 
Belsize    Junior     light    motor-car,    fully 

described,  199 
Benz,    pioneerwork    of,    in    the    motor 

revival,  30- 1 
Beza,  Monsieur,  his  mechanical  chair,  7 
Bicycle,  the  first  with  a  Daimler  engine, 

28-9 
Blackburn,  steam-coach  builder,  26 
Boilers  of  steam  cars,  care  required  to 

keep  in  order,  240 
Boulton,  letters  of  Watt  to,  concerning 

the  steam  carriage,  10,  1 1 
Brakes,  expanding,  on  the  Crossley  car, 
82,  do.  on  the  Renault  car,  1 16 
for  petrol  motors,  66 
Brakes  on  the  Wolseley  car,  113 
Brezin,  see  Cugnot 


343 


544 


THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 


Brunton,  steam  carriages  built  by,  i6 

Buckniaster,  Mr.   F.   W.,  accounts  of  a 

small  single-cylinder  petrol  car,  for 

one  year,  (mileage  8,000),  furnished 

by,  299-302 

Burner,  the,  of  the  "White"  steam  car, 

143 
Burstall   &    Hill,  steam    carriages  built 
by,  16 

Calcutta,  cost  of  petrol  in,  204 

Car,    The,    success   of,    and  its   causes, 

265-6 
Car  Magazine,  The,  and  its  editor,  266 
Car-makers,  prevalent  error  of  in  regard 

to  tyres,  244 
Carbide  lamps,  hints  on,  257 
Carburettor  difficulties,  causes  and  con- 
sequences, 223 
Carburettors  of  various  cars  : — 

Belsize  Junior  car,  (spray  type),  200 

Crossley  car,  75 

De  Dietrich  car,  (automatic),  107 

De    Dion-Bouton   light   motor   (spray 

type),  193 

Duryea  car,  1 19 

Humber  light  car,  (Longuemare  float- 
feed  type),  206 
Hutton  car,  121 
Lanchester  car,  98 
Napier  car,  88 

of  the  Petrol  motor,  45,  various  forms 
of,  46-9 
Care  of  the  motor-car,  its  essential  im- 
portance, 231 
Carrett,  steam-coach  builder,  26 
Castlewellan  hill-climbing  contest,  1903., 
good   performance    of    the    Duryea 
car  in,  119 
Catley  &  Ayres,  steam-coach  builders,  26 
Chains  of  the  car,  to  clean,  238 
Chaplin,  H.,  and  the  Light  Locomotives 

Act,  34 
Chassis  of  various  cars  : — 
Crossley  car,  good  lines  of,  84 
Hutton  car,  120 

Renault  car,  its  peculiarities,  116 
S. -M.  steam  car,  149 
Thornycroft  car,  130 
Cheap  cars,  dangers  of,  and  drawbacks 

to,  162 
Cheltenham -Gloucester    steam    carriage 
service  of  Sir  C.  Dance,  1831.,  why 
discontinued,  19,  20 
Choosing    a  car,    some    difficulties    con- 
cerning, 35-8 
Ckoses  vices  on  a  day's  motor  journey  in 

England,  313 
Church,  Dr.,  his  steam  coach,  in  actual 
use,  23 


Circulating  pump,  derangement  of,  a 
frequent  cause  of  overheating,  221 

City  &  Suburban  Company's  electric 
cars  described,  158,  golden  rules 
for  amateur  drivers  of,  159,  under- 
taking of,  in  regard  to  housing,  etc., 
of  electric  carriages,  296 

Cleaning  the  car  and  its  accessories,  the 
ideal  method,  237 

Clipper  Continental  Tyres,  246 

Clipper  Michelin  Tyres,  246 

Clock,  a  necessity  on  a  car,  259 

Clockwork  omnibus  tried  in  New  Or- 
leans, 1870.,  27 

Clothing  for  motorists,  hints  on,  260-1 

Clutch,  the,  216,  on  the  petrol  motor, 
58,  use  of,  in  speed  changing,  217 

Collier  Tyres,  246,  fixing  on  of  covers 
of,  246 

Continental  countries,  motor-car  touring 
in,  303-9 

Controlling  a  motor,  appliances  for,  and 
their  use,  213 

Cooling  systems  of  various  cars  : — 
Daimler  car,  104 
Mercedes  car,  91 
Napier  car,  87 

Petrol  motors,  air  and  water,  39,  54 
Renault  car,  114 
Wolseley  car,  III-12 

Cost,  {see  First  Cost,  and  Upkeep),  mini- 
mum, of  a  reliable  car,  161 

Country  roads,  speeds  on,  and  incessant 
need  for  watchfulness,  225 

Country-house  use  of  motor-cars,  meet- 
ing trains,  etc.,  168 

Critchley,  J.  S.,  his  work  in  connection 
with  the  Crossley  car,  71 

Crossley  car,  the,  a  type  of  petrol  car, 
69,  fully  described,  71  et  seq.,  its 
engine,  72,  carburettor,  75,  gear, 
78,  frame,  80 

Crypto  gear,  64 

Cugnot,  Nicholas  Joseph,  steam  carriage 
of,  9,  the  first  practical  steam  road 
vehicle,  10 

Cushion  Tyres,  see  Tyres 

Daimler  car,   the,  full  description   of, 
104  et  seq. 
Gottlieb  and  the  Daimler  motor,  28-30 
Motor  Co.  established  in  England,  34 

Dance,  Sir  C. ,  steam  carriage  service 
set  up  by,  from  Cheltenham  to 
Gloucester,  19,  ruined  by  the  tolls, 
20 

de  Chasseloup  -  Laubat,  Comte  and 
Marquis,  organisers  of  the  Paris- 
Bordeaux  run,  1894.,  32 

De  Dietrich  car,  the,  full  description  of. 


INDEX 


345 


and  aim  of  its  builders,  lo6  et  seq., 
accessibility  of  all  parts  in,  io8, 
excellence  of  its  design,  no 

de  Dion,  Count,  steam-driven  automo- 
bile devised  by,  31 

De  Dion  single-cylinder  engine,  economy 
of,    171,    compared   with   the   Olds- 
mobile  engine,  191 
van,  for  tradesmen's  use,  174 

De  Dion-Bouton  voiturette  or  light  car, 
fully  described,  its  high  reputation, 
19 1-6 ;  speed  of,  in  the  Paris- 
Rouen  run,  1894.,  32 

Delights  of  the  "open  road,"  310  et 
seq.,  322-7 

Delivery  motors  for  tradesmen's  use, 
desirability  of  wider  use  of,  173-4 

de  Zuyler,  Baron,  and  his  colleagues  in 
organising  the  Paris-Bordeaux  run, 
1S94.,  32 

Diamond  tyres,  single  tube,  pros  and 
cons  of,  247 

Discovery  of  England,  the  motor-car  as 
an  agent  in,  Rudyard  Kipling  on, 
letter,  286 

Dislike  of  the  motor,  its  principal  causes, 
213 

Doctors,  economy  to,  of  using  motor- 
cars, table  illustrative,  295 ;  their 
requirements  in  cars,  167 

Driving  a  motor,  the  whole  art  and 
mystery  of,  207  et  seq. 

Driving  arrangements  of  the  S.-M. 
steam  car,  147 

Dublin,  the  flying  kilometre  contest  at, 
1903.,  good  performance  of  the 
Duryea  car  in,  119 

Ducasble  Cushion  Tyre,  features  of,  247 

Dunlop  Tyres,  246 

Du  Quet,  M.,  his  windmill-driven  car- 
riages, 8 

Duryea  car,  the,  or  Duryea  Power 
Carriage,  full  description  of,  and 
points  of  interest  in,  116  et  seq. 

Dust  and  rain,  etc.,  protection  from  in 
touring  cars,  176,  dimensions  of 
the  screen  of  Sir  H.  Plunkett's 
Panhard,  177,  garments  requisite 
to  face,  260-1 

Edge,  S.  F.,  winner  of  the  Gordon-Ben- 
nett Cup,  1902.,  with  a  Napier  car,  85 

Edge,  Messrs.  S.  F.,  Ltd.,  agents  for 
the  Napier  car,  85 

Edison's  storage  battery,  153 

Eighteenth  century  progress  in  auto- 
propulsion,  7-13 

Electric  accumulators,  golden  rules  for 
the  care  of,  159 
car  lamps,  author's  preference  for,  258 


Electric  carriages  in  town,  economy  of 
using,  and  comparative  tables  con- 
cerning, 296-8 

cars,  advantages  of,  for  town  use,  154, 
chief  forms  in  which  used  in  Great 
Britain,  155,  principle  of,  153, 
154-5,  backwardness  of  develop- 
ment of  and  its  causes,  153 
Electric  cars  fully  described  : — 

City  &  Suburban  Co.'s,  158 

Electromobile  cars  : — 

Brougham,    Landaulette,    and   Vic- 
toria, 155 
Electric  ignition,  as  commonly  used  in 
the  petrol  motor,  50,  most  popular 
form  of,  51 
Electrical  apparatus  of  the  car,  regular 

examination  of,  essential,  239 
Electricity  for  propelling  road  vehicles, 
evolution  of   its   application,    27   et 
seq.,  the  ideal  motive  power,  134 
Electromobile  car,  the  three  types  of,  des- 
cribed, 155,  suited  for  town  use,  296 
Ellis,    The    Hon.    Evelyn,    introduction 
by,   of   the  modern   motor-car  into 
England,    33,    efforts  to  further  its 
use,  34 
"  Empereur,    1',"    successful    device   for 

preventing  side-slip,  254 
Engine  of  the  car,  to  clean,  238 
Engines  and  accessories  of  various  cars : — 

Baby  Peugeot  car,  2CO 

Belsize  Junior  car,  200 

Crossley  car,  72 

Daimler  car,  104 

De  Dietrich  car,  106,  how  cooled,  108 

De  Dion-Bouton  light  cars,  192 

Duryea  car,  position  of,  and  external 
invisibility,  116,  construction  of, 
118 

Humber  light  car,  206 

Hutton  car,  120-1 

Lanchester  car,  93,  peculiarities  of, 
94,  its  valve  gear,  95,  cooling 
system  of,  97 

Mercedes  car,  89,  92,  how  cooled,  91 

Napier  car,  86,  how  cooled,  87 

Oldsmobile  car,  197 

Renault  car,  1 13-14,  how  cooled,  114 

S.-M.  steam  car,  144,  149 

Serpollet-Simplex  steam  car,  140-1 

"  White"  steam  car,  143 

Wolseley  car,  position  of,  in,  how 
cooled,  III-12 

Wolseley  light  car,  205 
England,   evolution  of  modern  automo- 
bilism  in,  and  its  pioneers,   33-4 

evolution  of  the  steam  carriage  in, 
\0  et  seq. 

French  cars  brought  into,  1895.,  33 


346 


THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 


English     Eliminating     Trials     for     the 
Gordon-Bennett   Cup   Race,   1904., 
in  the  Isle  of  Man,  notes  on,  314 
makers   and  their  models  for  motor- 
cars, 68-9 
motor  trade,   the,   as   compared   with 

that  of  France  and  Germany,  41 
roads  in  the  eighteenth  century,  13 
Epicyclic  change-speed  gears  in  use  on 
various  cars,  64-5  ;  as  used  on  the 
Lanchester  car,  100-3 
Estimates  by  the  author  of  actual  money 
spent  in  connection  with  motoring :  — 
(a)  with  10  to  15  h.p.  car,  hospitably 
used   in  England,   and    making 
7,000  miles  per  annum,  293 
{d)  cost  of  running  a  20-24  h.p.   car 
for   touring    on    the    Continent, 
and  with  a  chauffeur  employed, 
294 
Exhaust  valves,  see  Valves 
Expert  advisers  for  motor-car  purchasers 

a  desuieratiivi  ^  39 
Externals,     minor     importance     of,     in 
choosing  a  car,  172 

Fads  in  connection  with  motor-cars,  39 

First  cost,  and  cost  of  accessories,  255, 

and  upkeep,  ratio  between,  163 

Fischer  &    Hart  motors,    petrol-electric 

transmission  system  of,  65 
"Flying    kilometre,"    the,    in    Phoenix 

Park,    1903.,  good   performance  of 

the  Duryea  car  in,  119 
Float-feed  Carburettor,  Longuemare  type 

in  the  Humber  light  car,  206 
Floor,   the,   of  a  motor-house,   the  pit, 

the  slope,   the  washing-place,  etc., 

234-5 
Frame,  absent  in  the  Oldsmobile,  196 

of  the  Crossley  car,  80 
France,    motor -touring   in,    memoranda 
on,  303  et  seq. 
rapid  progress  of,  after  1886.,  in  motor 
car  construction,  31 
French  forerunners  of  the  motor  car,  6 
et  seq.,  10 
motor  industry,  the  De  Dion  Company 
leaders  in,  192 
Frontiers,  irritating  regulations  at,  305 
Future    of    motoring    in    rural    districts, 
J.  St.  Loe  Strachey  on,  letter,  27S 

Garage  charges  on  the  Continent,  309 
Gardner -Serpollet  steam  car,  the,   133, 

136,  139 
Gearing  for  change  of  speed,  59 

(change -speed,   etc.)    of   the    Crossley 

car,  78 
differential,  its  uses,  61,  63 


General  overhaul,  annual  advised,  241 
Generator,  "White"  steam  car,  142 
Genevois,  Rev.  J.   H.,  his  windmill  or 

sail-driven  carriage,  8 
Germany,     motor -touring    in,    customs 

laxity  in  regard  to,  308 
Gobron-Brillie  car,  its  unique  principle, 

69 
Goggles,  an  essential  of  outfit,  260 
Gordon- Bennett  Cup  Race,   1902.,  won 
by  S.  F.  Edge  in  a  Napier 
car,  85 
1903.,  journalistic  feat  of  Motoring 
Illustrated  \r\  connection  with,  267 
1904.,    English    Eliminating   Trials 
for.     Isle    of    Man,    the    special 
interest  of,  314 
1904.,  success  of  Palmer  Cord  Tyres 
in  the  English  Eliminating  Trials 
for,  248 
1904.,    Wolseley    cars    selected    to 
represent  Great  Britain  in,   113 
Gordon,    David,    steam    carriages    built 

by,   16 
Governors  and  control  devices  in  petrol 

motors,  53 
Gradometer,  interesting  when  touring,  259 
Grids,    not    desirable    in    motor -house 

gutters,  234 
Griffiths  and  other  engineers  building 
steam  carriages,  early  nineteenth 
century,  16 
Gurney,  Goldsworthy,  his  steam  coach 
with  legs  and  other  forms,  practically 
employed  (1827.),  16,  details  of 
construction,  17-18,  service  of  these 
coaches  set  up,  19,  but  ruined  by 
tolls,  20 

Hague,  the,  Stevin's  wind  carriages  at,  6 

Hancock,   Walter,   his  steam  carriages, 
great  advance  marked  by,  20-23,  26 

Hautsch,    Johann,     and    his    horseless 
carriage,  6 

"  Henry    Edmonds    Trophy,"    the,    see 
Castlewellan. 

High  horse-power,  cases  when  it  is  not 
an  advantage,  176 

Plill,   of    Deptford,   early  steam   coach- 
builder,  24 

Hill-climbing,  to  master,  danger  of  back- 
running,  218-19 
the  Oldsmobile  run  up  Snowdon,  199 

Hilly  districts,  suitability  of  steam  cars 
for,  176 

Hobbies,   destroyed   by  parasitic   acces- 
sories, 255-6 

Holyhead  Road,  the,  and  its  fascinations, 
324-7 

Hooke's  single-wheel  vehicle,  6 


INDEX 


347 


Horns,  choice  of,  258 

Horse  and  carriage  upkeep  cost  v. 
motor  do.,  tables  illustrating,  295, 
296-7 

Horseless  carriages  advertised  in  London, 
1710.,  7 

Horses  as  a  standing  danger  to  motorists, 
227,  230 

Housing  of  the  car,  important  con- 
siderations concerning,  233,  light- 
ing, 234,  flooring,  234-5,  tyre- 
filling,  235,  warming,  etc.,  236-7 

Humber  light  car,  the,  described,  206 

Hutton  car,  the,  full  description  of, 
originality  of  design  in,   120  et  seq. 

Ignition    arrangements    of    the    petrol 
motor,    various    forms    of,    50,    the 
most  popular  form,   51 
synchronised,    introduced    by   Messrs. 
Napier,  87 
ignition  systems  of  various  cars  : — 
Baby  Peugeot  car,  202 
De  Dion-Bouton  motor,  196 
Duryea  car,  119 

Duryea-Dawson  high-tension  mag- 
neto, 119 
Lanchester  car,  95,   the  contact- 
breaker  in,  96 
Mercedes  car,  90 
Oldsmobile  car,  197 
Renault  cars,  115 
and    throttle    levers,    proper    manipu- 
lation of,  219-20 
Inshaw,  steam  coach  builder,  26 
Insulation  of  high-tension  wires,  care  of, 

a  vital  matter,  239 
Ireland,  motoring  experiences  in,  Sir  H. 
Plunkett  on,  letter,  273 
the  road  to,  324  et  seq. 
Irish  trials,  1903.,  good  performances  of 

the  Duryea  car  in,  II 9 
Isle  of  Man,  English  Eliminating  Trials 
in,  1904.,  effect  of,  on  the  people, 

Italy,  motor-touring  in,  formalities,  etc., 
concerning,  305,  dangers  from 
frightened  animals  in,  307-8,  garage 
charges  in,  309 

James    &   Anderson,    steam  carriages 

built  by,  16 
Jarrott,  Charles,  his  connection  with  the 

Crossley  car,  71 
on  the  charms  of  automobile  racing, 

letter,  280 
on  his  test  of  the  Oldsmobile,  199 
Jarrott  &  Letts,  Messrs.,  agents  for  the 

De  Dietrich  cars  in  Great  Britain, 

no 


Jarrott  &  Letts,  Messrs.,  managers  of 
the  company  selling  the  S.-M.  car, 
144 

Jeune,  Lady,  on  the  social  side  of  motor- 
ing, letter,  270 

Jobbing  electric  carriages,  cost  of,  con- 
trasted with  jobbing  horses  and 
carriages,  in  London,  figures  illus- 
trating, 297-8 

Kipling,  Rudyard,  on  the  car  as  a  dis- 
coverer of  England,  and  on  its 
moral  and  evolutionary  effects  on 
man  and  beast,  285 

Knight,  steam  coach  builder,  26 

Lamps,  cost  of,  and  hints  on,  257-8 
Lanchester  car,  the,  cooling  in,  and 
transmission  of  power,  57,  change- 
speed  gear,  64,  full  description  of, 
points  of  interest  in,  92,  elegance 
of  and  other  attractions,  103  ;  as  a 
touring  vehicle,  176 
Law,  the,  in  its  effects  on  motoring,  41, 

263 
Leakage  of  small  moneys,  during  travel, 

292-3 
Leonardo    da  Vinci,    his   plans   for   an 

autocar,  3 
Letters  on  automobilism  from, 
C.  Jarrott,  on  racing,  280 
Lady  Jeune,  on  the  social  side  of  it, 

270 
Rudyard  Kipling,  on  the  discovery  of 
England  by,  and  on  its  moral  effect, 
285 
Major  F.  Lindsay  Lloyd,  on  its  mili- 
tary use,  281 
Right  Hon.  Sir  Horace  Plunkett,  on 

motoring  in  Ireland,  273 
J.  St.  Loe  Strachey,  on  the  awaken- 
ing    of     rural     England     thereby, 
278 
Levassor,    M.,    winner    of    the    Paris- 
Bordeaux    Race,    and   his    Panhard 
car,  32-3 
Light  Locomotives   Act   passed,    1896. 
and  its  effect  on  motor-car  progress 
in  England,   34  ;   support  given  to 
it  by  the  Autocar,  263 
Light  motor-cars  fully  described  : — 
Baby  Peugeot,  200 
Belsize  Junior,  199 
De  Dion-Bouton,  191 
Humber,  206 
Oldsmobile,  196 
Roots  Paraffin,  203 
Wolseley,  205 
use  and    care   essential    to,   and   con- 
sequences of  disregard  thereto,  1 88 


348 


THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 


List  of  Motor-Cars  of  1904.,  with  par- 
ticulars of  price,  power,  etc.,  179-87 

Lloyd,  Major  F.  Lindsay,  on  the  mili- 
tary uses  of  motor-cars,  letter^  281 

Locomobile  Co.'s  light  American  steam 
car,  and  its  drawbacks,  135,  138-9, 
military  use  of,  138 

Lohner-Porsche  petrol-electric  car,  the, 
and  its  transmission  system,  65 

London  to  Brighton  run  to  celebrate  the 
passing  of  the  Light  Locomotives 
Act,  34 

Longuemare  carburettors,  float-feed  type 
of,  206 

Lubrication,  faulty,  as  a  cause  of  over- 
heating, 222 

Lubrication  systems  of  various  cars  : — 
Crossley  car,  83 
Lanchester  car,  (automatic),  97 
S.-M.  steam  car,  149 
Wolseley  car,  112 

Luggage  accommodation,  an  essential  in 
touring  cars,  176 

Macadam,  his  methodsofroadmaking,  15 

Maceroni  &  Squire,  early  steam  coach 
builders,  23 

Mackworth,  Sir  Humphrey,  his  sail- 
propelled  colliery  waggons,   7 

Manners  for  motorists,  some  hints  on, 
228-30 

Manufacturers     and     pneumatic     tyres, 

243-4 

Maurice,  Prince,  passenger  on  Stevin's 
wind  carriage,  4 

Mechanism  of  the  car,  need  for  its  under- 
standing by  the  driver,  210,  some 
illustrations  of  this,  211  et  seq.  ; 
some  mishaps  and  how  to  treat  them, 
221  et  seq.,  wisdom  of  the  owner's 
understanding  it,  232-3 

Melksham,  attack  on  Gurney  and  his 
steam  coach  at,   19 

Mendoza,  Adm.,  passenger  on  Stevin's 
wind  carriage,  4 

Mental  and  optical  training  afforded  by 
motoring,  226 

Mercedes  car,  brakes  of,  86,  full  de- 
scription of,  its  unique  position,  88 
an  ideal,  up-to-date,  41-2,  reasons 
of  its  superiority,    164-5 

Michelin  tyres,  used  in  the  Paris- 
Bordeaux  run,    1894.,   33 

Miesse  steam  car,  the,  136,  generator 
and  engine  of,  14 1 

Minimum  cost  of  a  reliable  car,  161 

Military  uses  of  motor-cars.  Major  F. 
Lindsay  Lloyd  on,  letter,  281 

Montagu,  The  Hon.  John  Scott,  and  his 
automobile  magazines,  265-6 


Moral    aspect,    the,    of    the    motor-car, 

Rudyard  Kipling  on,  287 
Morse,  L  J.,  joint  patentee  of  the  boiler 

of  the  S.-M.  steam  car,  144 
Motor,     The,   evolution    of,    its    special 

interest  to  the  beginner,  267  ;   and 

to  would-be  buyers  and  users  of  cars, 

190 
Motor  of  the  Roots  paraffin  car,  203 
Motor  News,    The,    specially    useful    to 

private  owners,  268 
Motor  Car  Journal,  The,  scope  of,  264 
Motor-car    racing,    pros    and    cons    of, 

40  ;    a  race  described,  320-2 
Motor  Car  World,  The,  268 
Motor-bicycles  a  boon  to  men  of  small 

means,  170 
Motor-car  industry  in  England,  its  back- 
wardness and  the  causes,  34 
Motor-cars,    care    demanded    by,    231, 

essentials  of,   232  et  seq. 
how  and  where  best  to  enjoy,  322-3 
for  pleasure,  chief  desiderata  in,   166, 

considerations  in   choosing,   171-2, 

needs  of  the  novice  in,  166 
position   advisable   for,    when   in   the 

motor-house,  236 
petrol  and  tyres,  the  two  unavoidable 

heavy  expenses  connected  with,  298 
Motor-man,  the  good,  his  value,  242 
Motor-owners  and  their  careless  misuse 

of  pneumatic  tyres,  243,  245 
Motorittg  Illustrated,  characteristics  and 

low  price,  brilliant  publishing  feat 

of,  267 
Murdock,    William,    his    model    steam 

carriage,   1 1 

Nail-catchers  on  rear  wheels,  advisa- 
bility of  affixing,  254 
Napier  car,  the,  full  description  of,  85 
Nasmyth,  James,  steam  carriages  built 

by,  16 
New  cars,  special  attention  needed  by, 

before  using  and  in  early  days,  241 
New  V.  second-hand  cars,  in  regard  to 

cheapness  of  purchase,  163 
New    Orleans,     trial    of    a     clockwork 

omnibus  at,    1870.,  27 
Newton,  Sir  Isaac,  his  mechanical  car,  6 
Novices  in  car  driving,  their  ignorance 

and  difficulties,  an  "awful  example," 

208-13 
Nuremberg,   hand-propelled  carriage  of 

Hautsch,  6 

Office  hours  in  France,  inconvenient 

to  the  motorist,  305 
Ogle   &    Summers,    early   steam    coach 

builders,  24 


INDEX 


349 


Oil,  superfluous,  to  remove,  238 

Oldsmobile,  the,  a  light  car,  popularity 
of,  191,  fully  described,  196,  hill- 
climbing  and  reliability  trial  suc- 
cesses of,  199,  limitations  of,  165 

Open  road,  the,  joys  of,  310  et  seq. 

Otto  cycle,  28,  its  four  strokes  described, 

44-5 
Overheating,    its   causes,    consequences, 

and  correction,  221-2 
Overtaxing  the  car,  1 88-9 

Palmer    Cord    Motor    Tyre,    246,    de- 
scribed, 247-8,  success  of,  1904.,  248 
Panhard  car,  an  ideal,  up-to-date,  41-2, 
rival  of  the  Mercedes  for  cost  and 
excellence,  165 
Panhard  &  Levassor,  earliest  constructor 
of  present-day  motor-cars,  their  use 
of  the  Daimler  engine,  29 
Paraffin  as  a  substitute  for  petrol,  204, 
290,  291,  298 
Burner  of  the  S.-M.  steam  car,  150 
car,  the  Roots,  203 
Paris-Bordeaux  automobile  run  of  1894, 
and  its  organisers,  32,  the  winner, 
32-3,    his   car,    33,    results   of    the 
contest,  33 
Paris-Rouen  automobile  run,  1894.,  31-2 
Parsons  chain,  successful  device  against 

side-slip,  253 
Peugeot  Freres,  early  cars  built  by,  30 
Peugeot,  Levassor,  Serpollet,  Roger,  & 
Gautier,    MM.,    organisers    of    the 
Paris-Bordeaux  run,  1894.,  32 
Persian  fifteenth-century  schemes  for  an 

autocar,  3 
Petit  Journal,  the  Paris-Rouen  automo- 
bile run  of,  1894.,  organised  by,  31 
Peto,  Henry,  steam  carriages  built  loy,  16 
Periodicals     concerning     automobilism, 

262-8 
Personal  knowledge  of  the  car,  an  ad- 
dition to  the  owner's  pleasure,  233 
Petrol,  heavy  cost  of,  298,  302,  price  of 
compared  with  paraffin,  204,  prices 
of  in  various  Continental  countries, 
308,  suggested  substitute  for,  298 
Petrol   car,   small    single -cylinder,  cash 
account   concerning,   for   one   year, 
furnished  by  Mr.  F.  W.  Buckmaster, 
299-302 
Petrol  cars.  Some  Types  of,  fully  described 
{see  also  Roots  paraffin  car) : — 
Crossley,  69 
Daimler,  104 
De  Dietrich,  106 
Duryea,  116 
Hutton,  120 
Lanchester,  92 


Petrol   cars,   Some  Types  of,    fully  de- 
scribed : — 

Mercedes,  88 
Napier,  85 
Renault,  113 
Thornycroft,  130 
Wolseley,  no 
Light  Cars : — 

Baby  Peugeot,  200 
Belsize  Junior,  199 
De  Dion-Bouton,  191 
Oldsmobile,  196 
Wolseley  light  car,  205 
Petrol   engines   for  modern  motor-cars, 
43  et  seq. 
their  mishaps  chiefly  due  to  want  of 

care,  221 
the  Otto  cycle  the  principle  of  all,  28 
Petrol  car,   standard,  means  of  control 

for,  213-14 
Petrol  motors,  as  now  employed,  43, 
essential  working  of,  43-4,  and 
principal  accessory  parts,  45  et  seq., 
silencing  devices  in,  53,  transmission 
of  power  in,  56-66,  control  of 
power,  56,  66,  steering  of,  66 
Petrol-electric    system    of    transmission, 

various  adaptations  of,  65  et  seq. 
Petrol-storage  for  private  owners,  235 
Petty,  Sir  William,  6 
Phoenix  Park,  Dublin,  flying  kilometre 

contest  in,  1903.,  119 
Plates  and  discs  for  preventing  side-slip, 

254 
Pleasures  of   motor-car   touring  on  the 
Continent,    309,   and   on   the   open 
road,  310  et  seq.,  322-7 
Plunkett,  Right  Hon.  Sir  H.,  dust  screen 
devised  by,  dimensions  of,  177 
on    his    personal    experiences    as    a 
motorist  in  Ireland,  letter,  273 
Pneumatic  tyres,  see  Tyres. 
Police,   the,  and  their  action  in  re  the 

motorist,  41 
"  Pompeesi "  fitting  for  refilling  car  tyres, 

262 
Potter,  Mr.,  his  cart  with  legs,  6 
Power,  waste  of,  and  noise  in  motors,  175 
Protection  from  rain  and  dust,  essential  in 
touring-cars,  176,  clothing  for,  260-I 
Punctures,  devices  for  preventing,  253- 
254,  how  to  repair,  250 

Racing,  automobile,  and  its  attractions, 
Charles  Jarrott  on,  letter,  280 

the  interest  of,  to  the  onlooker,  320  ; 
the  working  of  a  race,  320-2 

pneumatic  tyres  first  used  in,  for  long 
distances,  1894.,  33 

pros  and  cons  of,  40 


350 


THE   COMPLETE   MOTORIST 


Racing  the  car-engine,  unwisdom  of,  219 

Racing-car  trials,  sensations  of  a  pas- 
senger during,  316 

Radiators  of  the  Hutton  car,  123,  do. 
of  the  Wolseley,  iii 

Railway  development,  a  check  to  road 
auto-carriage  progress,  25 

Randolph,  Charles,  steam  coach  builder, 
26 

Renault  car,  the,  full  description  of,  and 
points  of  interest  in,  1 13  et  seq. 

Renolds'  wheel  chains,  used  in  the 
Crossley  car,  81,  and  in  the  Wolseley 
light  car,  205 

Refilling  tyres,  261-2 

Repairs  to  tyres,  ability  to  execute  essen- 
tial, 248,  advice  on,  to  amateurs, 
249-52,  importance  of  having  the 
outfit  in  order,  249,  limits  of  amateur 
operations,  249 

Rests  for  housed  motor-cars,  236 

Richard,  Monsieur,  "treadmill"  carriage 
of,  6-7 

Rickett,  steam  coach  builder,  26 

Risks  of  the  road,  227 

Road,  the  open,  the  motor-car's  true 
home,  310  et  seq.,  322-7 

Roads  {see  also  Country  Roads), 

English,    in    the    eighteenth    century, 
Arthur  Young  cited  on,  13 
modern,   and    their    individualities, 

324-7 
French,  excellence  of,  307 
Italian  and  Spanish,  badness  of,  307 
Telford's  system  of  making,  14,  15 
Road-journeys  of  the  novice  driver,  ad- 
vice on,  219 
Road-making   in    England,    early  nine- 
teenth century,  14  et  seq.,  324,  325 
Roger  &  Benz's  engine,  adoption  of  the 

Otto  four-stroke  cycle  in,  31 
Run-about  car,  older  type  of  American, 

137 
Roots   Paraffin    Light   Motor-car,   fully 
described,    203,    economy   of,    and 
suitability  for  foreign  use,  204 
Oil  Engine  van,  for  tradesmen's  use. 

Rural  districts  and  the  motor-car,  311, 
the  "discovery"  of,  Kipling  on, 
letter,  285,  the  future  of  motoring 
in,  Strachey  on,  letter,  278. 

S. -M.  steam  car,  the  new  design,   136, 

fully  described,    144,   its   simplicity 

and  excellence,  152 
Sailing  carriages  once  used  at  Southport, 

8 
Salomons,  Sir  David,  his  motor-houses, 

235 


Salomons,  Sir  David,  introduction  by,  of 
the  modern  motor-car  into  England, 
33,  efforts  to  further  its  use,  34 

Sand  and  sawdust,  uses  of,  in  a  motor- 
house,  236 

Screen  of  Sir  H.  Plunkett's  Panhard 
(against  dust),  its  dimensions,  177 

Second-hand  cars,  in  regard  to  cheap- 
ness of  purchase,  163 

See  tyre  band  for  preventing  side-slip, 
253,  254 

Selection  of  a  motor-car,  its  difficulties, 
161  et  seq.,  narrowing  the  issue, 
165,  166,  sample  cases  considered, 
166-70,  List  of  cars  of  1904.,  with 
particulars  of  price,  power,  etc., 
179-87 

SerpoUet,  Monsieur,  steam  automobile 
of,  31,  chief  point  in  his  invention, 

SerpoUet-Simplex  Steam  Car,  the,  fully 
described,  139 

Seventeenth  century  groping  after  the 
idea  of  auto-locomotion,  3 

Shave,  Geo.  H.,  designer  of  the  S. -M. 
steam  car,  144,  149,  150 

Short  journey  or  run-aljout  cars,  essen- 
tials in,  166,  167-71,  iS^  et  seq. 

Side-slip  and  its  causes,  227,  precau- 
tions advisable,  228,  preventive 
devices,  246,  253 

Silence    in   motor-cars,    importance   of, 

.      '75 

Silencing  devices  in  petrol  motors,  53 

Simms-Bosch  system  of  Low -Tension 
Magneto  Ignition  for  petrol  motors, 
52,  as  used  on  the  De  Dietrich  car, 
106,  and  Renault  car,  115 

Single-tube  pneumatic  tyres,  pros  and 
cons  of,  247 

Six-cylinder  engine,  the,  of  the  Napier 
car,  86,  how  cooled,  87 

Snowdon,  the  Oldsmobile  climb  of,  199 

Social  side,  the,  of  motoring,  Lady 
Jeune  on,  letter,  270 

Solid  tyres,  see  Tyres 

Southport,  sailing  carriages  once  used 
at,  8 

Spare  covers,  essential  original  supply 
and  care  of,  248-9 

Spare  tubes,  the  best  way  of  carrying  in 
the  car,  249 

Speed,  delusions  of  motorists  (and  others) 
concerning,  259 
gear  and  other  gear  on  the  Baby 
Peugeot  car,  202,  do.  on  the  Hut- 
ton,  an  important  feature,  123  et 
seq.,  do.  on  the  Oldsmobile,  197, 
its  excellence,  199 
and  pleasure  in  touring,  226 


INDEX 


351 


Speed-changing,     practice     essential    to 

success  in,  217 
Speedometers,    undesirable    accessories, 

259 

Spray-type   carburettors   of    the   Belsize 
Junior    car,    200,    and    of    the    De 
bion-Bouton  voiturette,  193 
Springs  of  the  Mercedes  car,  89 
Stanley  steam  cars,  excellence  of,  139 
Starting  and  its  essential  preliminaries, 

214-17 
Starting   on   a    tour,    final    precautions 

advisable,  224 
Starting    and   coupling  gear    for   petrol 

motors,  55 
Steam  Carriage  Co.  of  Scotland,  early 

steam  coach  builders,  24 
Steam  carriages  for  road   use  killed   by 

tolls  in  England,  20,  24-6 
Steam  cars,  best  for  hill-climbing,  176 

the  three  main  types  of,  1 33 
Steam  cars  mentioned  : — 

American  run-about,  older  type,  137 
American  light  run-about,  137 
Gardner-Serpollet,  133,  136-7 
Locomobile,  133,  135 
The  Miesse,  136,  141 
S.-M.,  144 

Serpollet-Simplex,  139 
Stanley,  133 
"White,"  142 
prejudice  against  in  England,  298 
special  forms  of  care  required  by,  240 
suitability  of   for    doctors,    etc.,    167, 
and  where  low  upkeep  is  important, 
170 
Steam  coach  builders  of  the  sixties  and 

seventies,  26 
Steam    coaches,    companies    formed    to 

work  from  1 832  to  1838.,  15 
Steam  propulsion  for  cars,  pros  and  cons 

of,  134 
Steering  of  motor-cars,  66,  the  art  of, 

208-10 
Steering  and  other  gear  on  various  cars :  — 
on  the  Daimler  car,  105 

De  Dion-Bouton  car,  194 
Duryea  car,  I17-18 
Lanchester  car,  93,  99 
Mercedes  car,  92 
Renault  car,  115 
Thornycroft  car,  131 
Wolseley  car,  112 
Stevin,  Simon,  and  his  wind -carriages, 

1600.,  3,  4 
Stoppages,  usually  caused  in  the  simplest 

manner,  223 
Storage   of  spare  tyres   and   covers   on 

cars,  248 
Storage-battery,    Edison's,    or    another. 


essential  to  the  development  of  the 
electric  car,  1 53 

Strachey,  J.  St.  Loe  (editor  of  the  Spec- 
tator), on  the  future  of  motoring, 
especially  in  rural  districts,  letter, 
278 

Sturmey,  H.,  founder  of  The  Autocar, 
34,  262-3 

Suburban  dwellers,  in  relation  to  the 
use  of  the  motor-car,  169 

Supplies  needed  on  a  tour,  223-4 

Tail-lights,  hints  concerning,  257 
Telegraph  posts,  the,  companionship  of, 

on  the  road,  327-8 
Telford,  and  his  great  highway,  the  Holy- 
head road,  324,  325,  his  system  of 

road-making,  14,  15 
Temperature  advisable  for  a  motor-house, 

236 
Testing  a  motor-car  on  the  road,  174 
Thornycroft  car,  the,  the  description  of, 

and  principal  characteristics,  130 
Throttle  lever,  proper  use  of,  importance 

of,  220 
Todd,  J.  L.,  steam  coach  builder,  26 
Tolls,  steam  coaches  driven  off  the  roads 

by,  20,  24,  25 
Tonneau,  the  ordinary,  and  its  drawbacks. 

Touring  cars,  essentials  in,  167,  172,  174, 
176-8,  188 
Clubs,  advantages  of  joining,  309 
experiences  of  a   novice,   a  warning, 

210-13 
on    the    Continent,    in    France,    and 
other  lands,  303,  formalities,  regu- 
lations,   etc.,    304,    expenses    and 
pleasures  of,  308-9 
preparations,  advice  on,  223 
Town    use,    electric    vehicles    specially 

suited  for,  154,  156,  296 
Traction  engines,  only,  able  to  survive  the 

tolls  and  by-laws,  25 
Tradesmen's    delivery   business,    motors 

for,  173-4 
Train -meeting,     motor-car    suited    for, 

168 
Transmission  and   control   of  power  in 
petrol   motors,   56-66,   sequence   of 
the  former,  63 
Transmission  systems  in  various  cars  : — 
Baby  Peugeot  car,  202 
De  Dion-Bouton  car,  194 
Hutton  car,  123 
Renault  car,  115 
Wolseley  car,  112 
Wolseley  light  car,  205 
Tread,  the,  of  tyres,  246 
Trevithick,  Richard,  "  the  father  of  the 


352 


THE   COMPLETE    MOTORIST 


locomotive,"     lo,    his    first    steam 

carriage,  12 
Tube  ignition,  now  abandoned,  50 
Tunbridge  Wells,  the  first  motor  show 

in  England  held  at,  1895.,  33 
Tyres,  cushion,  principle  of,  247 

pneumatic,    the    boon    and    bane    of 
motorists,  242-3,  where  the  blame 
lies,  243-4 
-   cost  of  upkeep  of,  in  a  Mercedes,  165 

essential  original  supply  of,  248 

first  used  in  long-distance  automobile 
racing,  1894.,  33 

inflating  of,  261-2 

initial  cost  of,  244 

principle  of  design  of  most  varieties 
246 

repairs  to,  ability  to  execute  es- 
sential, 248,  limits  of  amateur 
repairing,  249,  methods  of  effect- 
ing, 249-52 

replacing  after-repairs,  252 

"resting"  them,  advantages  of,  249 

single-tube,  pros  and  cons  of,  247 

spare,  needed  for  touring,  223 

storage  arrangements  advisable  for, 
and  care  of,  235,  241,  limits  of, 
249 

unavoidable  expenses  incidental  to, 
298-9 

uninsurable,  243 

varieties  referred  to  :  — 
Clipper,  246 
Collier,  246 
Michelin,  33 
Palmer  Cord,  247 
solid  rubber,  advantages  and  the  reverse 
of,  170-1,  245,  for  economical  non- 
high  speed  cars,  advised,  299,  those 
of  the  Roots  paraffin  car,  204 

Upkeep,  in  relation  to  cost  of  car, 
163,  service  demanded,  289,  and 
mileage  run,  tables  illustrative  of 
290-302 


Valves,  exhaust,  attention  required  by, 
239 
inlet  and  exhaust,  of  the  petrol  motor, 

49-50  . 
Valve-gear  in  the  Lanchester  car  engine, 

95  . 

Ventilation  of  spare  tyres,  235 

Vickers,  Sons,  &  Maxim,  associated  with 
the  firm  building  the  Wolseley  car, 
"3 

Washing  and  cleaning  of  the  car,  advice 
on,  233 

Watchfulness  on  a  tour,  need  for  con- 
tinuous, 225 

Water-supply     and     apparatus,     cares 
requisite  for,   240 
and  control,  S.-M.  steam  car,  146 
system,  Serpollet-Simplex  steam  car, 
141,  do.  White  car,  142 

Watt,  and  the  steam  carriage,  10-12 

Wheels,    differences    between    those    of 
automobiles  and  of  horse  or  other- 
wise drawn  vehicles,  61 
of   the   Baby    Peugeot   car,    (artillery 
type),  203 

"White"  steam  car,  the,  136,  139, 
fully  described,  142 

Wildgosse,  Thomas,  patents  of,  for  horse- 
less and  sailless  vehicles,  161 8.,  4 

Williamson,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  N. ,  authors 
of  the   chapter   on    The   Motor-car 
Abroad,  303 
Wind-carriages,  of  Simon  Stevin,  1600., 

3' 4 
Wolseley  car,  the,  full  description  of,  and 
special  points  in,  no  et  seq. 
light   car,    the,    fully  described,    205, 
success  of  in  Reliability  Trials,  206 

Yarrow  (SrHilditch, steam  coach  Ijuilders, 

26 
Yeats,  Mr.,  on  the  "endless  roads,"  327 
Young,    Arthur,    cited  on    condition    of 

English    roads    in    the    eighteenth 

century,   13 


PLYMOUTH  :  WILLIAM    RRENDON   AND   SON,    LIMITED,   PRINTERS 


SOME   PRESS   OPINIONS 

The  Times  says : — "  It  is  composed  of  sound  science  and  good  literature  in  more 
or  less  equal  parts ;  in  fact,  this  is  a  book  in  which  technical  knowledge  and  literary 
skill  go  hand  in  hand,  and  analysis  is  the  best  way  of  explaining  its  character  and 
its  excellence.  .  .  .  Besides  this,  Mr.  Young  gives  in  the  most  genial  tone  practical 
and,  so  to  speak,  moral  advice ;  and  occasionally,  in  little  essays  on  the  joy  of 
motoring,  he  rises  near  to  grandeur  of  language.  .  .  .  This  very  practical  book 
abounds  with  humour  and  wisdom,  and  is  written  in  vigorous  and  expressive 
English.  All  these  virtues  are  rare,  even  singly.  In  combination  they  are  the 
more  welcome." 

The  Morning  Post  says: — "Though  the  author  styles  himself  an  amateur,  his 
accuracy  is  worthy  of  the  expert,  while  for  lucidity  and  precision  his  technical 
descriptions  have  not  been  equalled  by  the  ablest  of  his  forerunners.  .  .  .  The 
volume  finishes  with  a  chapter  on  '  The  Open  Road,'  in  which  Mr.  Young  gives 
a  remarkable  pen-picture  of  the  pleasures  of  a  training  spin  on  a  racer  with  Mr. 
Charles  Jarrott.  It  is  as  fine  a  piece  of  impressionist  writing  as  the  author  has 
yet  achieved." 

The  New  York  Herald  says  : — "Complete  it  certainly  is,  and  interesting,  enter- 
taining, and  of  immense  practical  value  into  the  bargain.  .  .  .  The  author,  in  fact, 
has  unquestionably  succeeded  in  writing  the  very  book  that  is  needed  by  the  amateur 
who  has  just  decided  '  to  go  in  for  automobiling.' " 

The  Standard  says  : — "  The  Coviplete  Motorist  hits  the  happy  medium  between 
technicality  and  generalisation,  and  we  can  recommend  it  alike  to  those  who  have 
bought,  or  are  still  paying  for,  their  experience  with  the  new  method  of  locomotion, 
and  those  who  would  fain  do  so  if  they  could  afford  the  cost.  .  .  .  The  book  is 
packed  with  practical  advice  on  every  phase  of  the  subject.  It  is  furnished  with 
helpful  illustrations." 

The  Athemzuin  says: — "To  the  man  who  owns  a  motor-car,  or  whose  friends 
use  this  method  of  locomotion,  or  who  himself  has  any  thought  of  obtaining  one 
of  the  vehicles  of  the  future,  this  handsome  book  should,  and  probably  will,  appear 
a  thing  of  beauty  and  a  joy  likely  to  prove  enduring.  Even  the  reader  who  (before 
his  reading  of  this  book)  has  never  felt  the  slightest  interest  in  the  subject  can 
hardly  fail  to  be  moved  and  quickened  from  his  indifference,  if  only  by  passing 
thrills,  so  lucid  and  spirited  is  Mr.  Young's  treatment  of  motoring  and  all  its  ramifi- 
cations and  concerns.  A  better  book  of  the  sort  we  do  not  expect  to  see.  It 
is  modestly  written,  yet  as  full  of  valuable  and  practical  information  as  any  text- 
book ;  technically  sound,  with  the  knowledge  that  only  experience  can  supply,  yet 
as  picturesque,  as  romantic,  as  literary,  and  as  genuinely  interesting  as  any  novel." 

The  St.  Ja7nes's  Gazette  says: — "A  tribute  is  thoroughly  deserved  to  the  admir- 
able literary  quality  of  the  book,  which  reaches  a  standard  of  excellence  seldom 
met  with  in  works  that  belong  to  the  same  category.     And  it  may  be  added  that 


SOME   PRESS   OPINIONS 

no  person  who  cares  to  keep  abreast  of  modern  progress  should  fail  to  give   The 
Complete  Motorist  an  honoured  place  upon  his  bookshelves." 

The  Daily  Chronicle  says: — "The  motor  has  been  fortunate  in  its  literary  com- 
mentators. Mr.  Filson  Young  has  lighted  up  facts,  statistics,  and  tables  of  expenses 
with  a  gaiety  and  deftness  for  which  we  are  sincerely  grateful. " 

The  Daily  Mail  says : — "  Mr.  Young's  book  has  the  merit  of  being  valuable  to 
the  possessor  of  a  motor-car  and  helpful  to  the  driver,  as  well  as  interesting  to  those 
who  have  not  yet  realised  England  as  '  a  fairy  museum  where  all  the  exhibits  are 
alive  antl  real.'     There  are  scores  of  illustrations." 

llie  East  Anglian  Daily  Titties  says: — "I  cannot  imagine  that  even  the  most 
experiencetl  motorist  could  fail  to  read  Mr.  Filson  Young's  book  without  profit,  and 
I  am  certain  that  no  one,  even  a  motor  hater,  could  read  it  without  a  great  deal  of 
interest  and  pleasure.  The  author  has  been  at  great  pains  to  make  his  purely 
technical  chapters  as  lucid  and  accurate  as  possible  ;  but  he  has  reserved  for  the 
final  chapter,  entitled  '  The  Open  Road,'  the  most  characteristic  and  delightful 
expression  of  his  always  engaging  artistic  personality.  It  is  as  fine  a  piece  of  pure 
literature  as  Mr.  Young  has  given  us,  and  makes  a  worthy  conclusion  to  an  ex- 
tremely valuable  work." 


BY  THE   SAME   AUTHOR 
IRELAND    AT    THE    CROSS    ROADS 

The  Titties  says : — "  Full  of  sympathy,  not  devoid  of  insight,  and  instinct  with 
freshness  and  individuality.  .  .  .  His  book  is  well  worth  reading,  if  only  for  its 
high  literary  quality.  It  will  attract  and  interest  many  by  its  vivid  presentation  of 
facts  and  opinions  which  would  only  repel  if  recorded  in  the  arid  pages  of  a  Blue- 
book." 

The  Spectator  says: — "There  can  be  no  question  of  the  importance  of  Mr. 
Young's  analysis  of  the  effect  of  a  too  emotional  religion  upon  the  mind  of  the  Irish 
race.  .  .  .  Economic  questions  are  treated  briefly  but  with  great  good  sense.  .  .  . 
We  can  commend  Mr.  Young's  book  to  all  who  desire  an  acute  and  sympathetic 
study  of  a  great  experiment — the  regeneration  of  Ireland  from  within.  There  is 
much,  too,  in  the  volume  which  has  genuine  literary  charm,  such  as  the  account  of 
the  old  life  of  Irish  country  houses,  and  the  perfect  little  sketch  of  a  visit  to  the 
Trappist  Monastery  at  Mount  Melleray.  .  .  .  Even  in  his  imperfections  Mr.  Young 
deserves  to  be  judged  on  the  higher  literary  standard,  and  at  his  best  he  can  write 
with  great  lucidity  and  charm." 

The  Morning  Post  says  : — "  Searching  and  courageous  in  argument,  and  written 
in  a  style  that  is  pleasant,  supple,  and  picturesque." 

The  Scotsttian  says  : — "  This  is  a  thoughtful  study  of  the  present  state  of  Ireland, 
not  the  less  readable  either  because  it  studiously  avoids  politics  or  because  it  is 
written  with  quite  an  uncommon  literary  ability.  .  .  .   Practical  remedies  it  does 


SOME   PRESS   OPINIONS 

not  seek  to  indicate ;  but  this  need  be  no  reproach  to  a  book  so  impressive ;  for  it 
will  serve  a  good  object  if,  as  it  can  hardly  fail  to  do,  it  makes  its  readers  realise  the 
full  nature  of  difficulties  too  often  obscured  or  misrepresented.  This  book  will  be 
read  with  profit  by  every  one  interested  in  its  subject." 

Mr.  George  Moore,  in  the  Daily  Mail,  says : — "  Ireland's  case  is  stated  lucidly 
as  a  proposition  in  Euclid,  picturesquely  as  a  dramatic  situation  in  a  novel  by  Balzac 
...  I  congratulate  Mr.  Filson  Young  on  having  written  a  most  remarkable  book. 
It  is  by  far  the  best  book  of  the  kind  that  I  have  read  for  many  a  long  day." 

The  Athenaeum  says : — '*  The  author  writes  with  ease,  often  with  great  pictur- 
esqueness,  and  carries  along  his  reader  through  many  interesting  and  many  astound- 
ing pages.  .  .  .  We  cannot  speak  too  highly  of  his  power  of  portraying,  in  poetic 
prose,  his  romantic  but  melancholy  impressions." 

The  Westminster  Gazette  says  : — "  Mr.  Filson  Young's  Ireland  at  the  Cross  Roads 
has  very  considerable  literary  merits.  It  is  vivid  and  interesting,  it  appears  to  reflect 
things  really  seen  and  felt,  and  it  is  written  in  a  style  which  will  please  the  reader 
of  literary  tastes  and  entice  him  to  read  on  when  he  has  once  begun.  ...  In  par- 
ticular, we  should  like  everyone  to  read  his  account  of  the  work  of  Sir  Horace 
Plunkett  and  his  department." 

The  World  says: — "We  have  read  few  recent  pages  more  ably  and  brilliantly 
written  than  the  brief  but  suggestive  work  which  Mr.  Filson  Young  entitles  Ireland 
at  the  Cross  Roads.  .  .  .  The  passage  of  singular  beauty  in  which  he  traces  the 
influence  of  the  sea  upon  the  inhabitants  of  the  western  parts  of  Ireland,  for 
instance,  not  only  stands  out  among  the  writings  of  Mr.  Young's  contemporaries, 
but  would  bear  comparison  with  the  purple  patches  of  the  great  masters  of  English 
prose,  being,  as  it  is,  not  merely  a  piece  of  exquisite  language,  but  the  expression 
of  a  simple  and  profoundly  true  thought  which  has  not  occurred  to  any  previous 
writer." 

The  Dublin  Daily  Express  says: — "No  one  can  take  up  this  book  on  Ireland 
without  being  fascinated  by  its  brilliant  style  and  its  clearness  of  vision.  Mr.  Young 
evidently  sees  plainly  the  problems  that  lie  at  the  root  of  the  Irish  question.  He 
does  not  miss  the  obvious  by  seeking  after  the  esoteric  causes  that  will  explain  why 
Ireland  still  puzzles  the  statesman  and  the  social  inquirer.  .  •  .  Mr.  Young  can 
look  on  the  Catholic  Church  in  Ireland  without  a  trace  of  bigotry  or  intolerance. 
He  describes  its  influence  on  the  character  and  history  of  the  people  with  a  masterly 
insight,  calmly,  logically,  scientifically." 


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